The New Girl
by a manga freak
Summary: Mikan Sakura is new at Alice Academy, and she isnt looking for a romance. But that's what she gets... i suck at summaries. Why dont you just read and find out for yourself?
1. This is it

**Chapter 1 -- This Is It**

_This is it_. I thought , looking at myself in the mirror. In two hours, I would be boarding a train that would take me to my new school. Since my mother and father were always travelling, they had decided to put me in a boarding school for my high school years. The school that I was going to was one of Japan's best, called Alice Academy. The fees cost a fortune, and most people could only dream of going.

But I was definitely not _most people_. I didn't want to go to Alice Academy, I and would be perfectly fine staying in my regular school with my regular friends. Its not like I would feel homesick or something, but it was because of the simple reason that I hated having to start all over in a new school. With a shudder, I remembered when I had been new in my old school.

I had loved playing soccer then, (and I still did) and when I had showed up in class with a soccer ball in my hands and wearing clothes that closely resembled those of a street gangster's, everyone, including the guys, thought that I was weird. The girls had avoided talking to me, thinking that I smoked, and got drunk, (and maybe even belonged to a gang) even though we were only 11 at the time. It had taken me a long time to convince them that I was only wearing those clothes because I had come from soccer practice that morning, and even then they still kept their distance.

Ever since then, I had always been careful about first impressions.

"Mikan!!" a voice called through the thick wood of my door. "Could you come down here?? We have to leave in 20 minutes if you want to make it to the train station on time." It was my mom, and she seemed a bit more calm than she usually was. _Uh Oh._ I thought. _Not a good sign_.

I took one last look at myself in the mirror. I was dressed simply, but not in a way that people might feel the need to offer me some money in sympathy. I fiddled with my hair tucking the loose strands back in to my ponytail. I smiled, satisfied, and picked up my bags and my soccer ball.

I opened the door, taking one last look at my watch. It was only 1:13, and the train arrived at 3:00. _What in the world was my mom thinking??_ The railway station wasn't far from our house, and at max, (even with traffic) it should only take us about 30 minutes to get there. That would leave us with an hour of waiting at the railway station.

With a sigh, I trudged down the stairs, trying in vain to drag my bags after me. It's not like they were heavy or anything, but there were just way too many. Since my parents always travelled for only one or two weeks at a time, they did not bother buying any big bags, so I was left with having to pack all of my things in about five or six (smaller) bags.

In the end, I gave up trying to carry my own bags and left them on the stairs. "So why do we have to go to the station so early mom?" I asked, passing the soccer ball in between my hands.

A woman with straight, brown hair looked up at me on my arrival. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and even though she had on a strict-looking business suit, her eyes were twinkling, as if she were still filled with the same liveliness that she had possessed as a child.

The woman looked me over, and I could see her face fall a little. " Mikan, you have all those wonderful dresses in your closet, and you choose to wear _this??_" my mom had pronounced '_this_' with such repulsion that I looked myself over again, a bit hurt. I had thought that it was perfectly all right. A bit on the Goth side with all the black and stuff, but still good enough for a train ride.

"Whada ya mean '_this_'?? _I_ think that it's perfectly fine!"

"I don't know what you mean by 'fine' Mikan, but that certainly isn't. Why don't you put on that green dress that I bought for you? Wearing that, you'll certainly be able to get the boys attention. Maybe you'll even be able to get yourself a date!" I looked at my mom's hopeful eyes, and then back at my comfortable levis and sweatshirt. I sighed. I might as well do what my mom asks. I mean, the moment I got on the school campus I'd be free to do whatever I wanted.

"Fine," I sighed again. I turned around so that I wouldn't have to see my mom's triumphant smile, and trudged back up the stairs. I was already halfway up when my mom called behind me, "Don't take too much time. We have to leave by 1:30. And by the way, your dad won't be able to make it to the station. He had to go to an important meeting. I hope you don't mind."

'_I hope you don't mind_' I recalled as I rolled my eyes. My parents had missed a lot of important events due to other, _more important_ (as in 'more important than their only daughter') events. I had been very sad when they had missed my kindergarten graduation, and I remembered envying all my friend's parents who had come even if they had to go see a sick patient, or complete a project by the deadline the next day. But as the time passed, I learned to get over their absenteeism in most of my life. I knew they cared about me, and that was all that mattered.

I changed into the said dress, and couldn't help but noticing that my mom was right. I _did_ look good in this. I stuffed my clothes into one of the less filled bags, and this time just took it, and dumped it over the balustrade of the staircase. Since there were only clothes in it, and I was already halfway down the stairs, the bag only made a dull thump as it landed on the wooden floor. I did the same with the rest of the bags that I was sure contained no valuables, and carried the rest of them along with my soccer ball, which I stuffed into another bag as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I was sure that people would think it was weird if a girl with a good-looking dress had a grimy soccer ball in her hands.

"Now that looks _much_ better!" exclaimed my mom. I looked down. The dress was springtime green, and since it only came down halfway down my thighs, I was wearing jeans under it. It wasn't anything fancy, and to tell you the truth, it was really simple, but if it was worn the right way, then you could definitely get heads turning.

"Yeah, well admire it while it lasts. And let me tell you, that won't be long." My mom just stared at me, and then sighed, as though she had given up on me. But this I knew, wouldn't last long. She'd be back at pestering me soon.

"Mikan, why don't you go ahead and ask the driver to get your bags into the car? We seem to be a bit late."

"_Late?_" I asked, checking my watch. It was 1:34. "Mom, why do we have to get to the station by 2?"

"Well, you can never be too sure, right? I mean what if we get stuck in traffic or something?? Like I always say, better be safe than sorry." I raised my eyebrows at her. The saying totally made sense and all, but I had never heard her _say_ it before. I just nodded though, and opened the door, calling our driver.

In about 15 minutes, my mom and me were sitting in the back of our Ferrari, watching the suburban landscape pass by. Alice Academy was about two hours away, if you were going by train. It was located on the far outskirts of the city, and the easiest way to get there would be by train, rather than driving a car across the unpaved dirt roads. Why would such a prestigious school be out in the middle of nowhere you ask?? Well, the answer is pretty simple. It was the only place anywhere near the city that they would be able to build such a big school.

The school campus apparently had not only huge dorms, a town that provided the best of everything, and an awesome soccer field, (this was half the reason why I agreed to go to this school) but was so huge that it had a whole _forest_ on the campus. Yeah, you heard me right. A whole _forest. _

I was interrupted from my thoughts by my driver, "Miss, get ready, we're almost at the station." I looked up at him and nodded. The car pulled up and stopped, while I shot out and grabbed my bags from the trunk. I slung one on my shoulder, (the one with all my valuables) and dumped the rest on a rolling cart. I looked to my side and saw my mom waving over from the car. If I took too much time stopping in front of the station, then we'd hold up the other cars. I nodded to my driver, who drove away with my mom, who probably had some other meeting to go to.

Surprisingly, there were a lot of teenagers and kids walking around. Since this was only my second time going on a train, I took no notice to this fact as I pushed the cart into the station. We had made it by 2:15, and there were even more youths on this side. It was like the Hogwarts express form Harry Potter, except that there were no people with frogs or owls with them (even though I did see a parrot).

I went over to one of the benches, and sat down next to a pink haired girl. She was talking with a dark blue haired girl, both of which looked like friends. Normally, I wouldn't talk to strangers and all that, but when I heard the pink haired girl mention something about Alice Academy, I just had to speak up.

"Hey," I asked, tapping her on the shoulder. "Did you mention Alice Academy?" She jumped and then looked at me with glowing eyes. "Oh! Are you going to Alice Academy too? 'Cause we are!!"

"Well, yeah, I'm going to the academy. I'm new, and I thought that you could explain things about . . . . ." I drifted off, suddenly aware that the girls weren't paying any attention to me at all. Instead, they were looking at my dress with stars in their eyes. "Oh that outfit is just sooo cute!!" they chorused. I backed off a little. _That was weird_. _Its like they practice saying stuff together!_

"Are you two twins or something?" I asked, baffled. They looked at me and then at each other and started laughing. "I thought you'd say that. Well, actually, we aren't. We've just _really_ close friends. That's Ana, and I'm Nonoko," said the girl in the dark blue hair. "Hi Ana, hi Nonoko. I'm Mikan," I said a bit carefully. These girls were starting to freak me out.

"Sit down Mikan, and we'll tell you everything that you need to know about school," said Ana, leading me to one of the chairs. Over the next few minutes, Ana and Nonoko explained about how the school worked, and where everything was on the campus. I listened intently. No matter how weird these girls were, I needed their information about the school.

According to the girls, there were three buildings for classes, the elementary school dividion, the middle school division, and the high school division. There were six dormitories, two for each of the divisions (one for girls and one for boys). The town was called central town, and it had everything form clothing stores to fast-food restaurants to movie theaters. Money is given out each month according to your behavior and studies. When I asked them why the majority of the people in the station were teenagers or kids, Ana replied, "Well, since there are so many people who come to the school, the academy just books the whole train each year just for the students. They do the same thing on the way back."

They also took time explaining that the number-one most wanted guy was the Natsume Hyuuga, followed by his best friend Ruka Nogi. Of course, they were both surrounded by crazy fan-girls, so making a move on them would be fatal. I had never been interested in guys, and wished that I hadn't put my ball back in the bag. Anything would be better than listening to two love-crazed girls talk about some guy's favorite food. I was just about to get my ball out when I heard a scream.

Me, Ana, and Nonoko stood up, trying to see what had happened. Ana and Nonoko's eyes lit up when they saw a crowd of girls near the entrance of the station. "OH MY GOD. . . . . **IT'S HIM!!**" they started screaming while I tried to cover my ears, due to all the unmistakably feminine shrieks that were erupting across the station (due, most probably to Natsume's arrival).

I looked at my watch, and realized that it was already 2:57. Sure enough, the train was approaching the station, slowing down as people said good bye to their parents. I looked back at the crowd of girls that looked as though they weren't going to move even if the train did. I found two pink and blue heads, bobbing along with the mass that was approaching me, and approaching me _fast_. Without another backward glance, I grabbed the handrail and pulled myself into the train. _Hey, at least I'll get a good seat_. I took a quick glance over the compartment, and found a seat near the window that looked like I could sit undisturbed for the three hour ride. I stowed my bags away, but kept the one with my valuables and soccer ball close by. I zipped it open, grabbed the ball, and pushed it back under the seat. I don't know why, but just having the ball in my hands made me feel better.

I looked out the window, and saw that the crowd of girls was where I had been about 5 minutes ago. Talk about stampede!

"Get out of my seat, little girl." I turned around to see who was talking. It was a guy, one who actually looked good. He had raven hair and crimson eyes. And those eyes didn't look too happy at that moment.

"No. First of all, you didn't ask politely, and second of all, I got here first, and since it doesn't have your name on it, I don't see how it's your seat. I could hear gasps erupt all around him, and it was then that I notice that he had tons, literally, tons of girls surrounding him. Not to mention the good-looking guy beside him (He had _really_ cute looking blond hair, with blue eyes. Just as I had imagined an angel. . . . just kidding, though he did look good).

At that moment, the blond guy beside him spoke. "Hey, what Natsume means, is that we sit there almost every year, so we would really appreciate it if you'd move. Right Natsume?"

"Yeah whatever, Ruka."

My mind totally stopped. _Natsume and Ruka?? I mean, yeah Ruka's looks good and all, but how can girls be all over that arrogant jerk?? He didn't even give me a proper apology!! _I was, of course, referring to Natsume.

"I'm sorry, but I still can't move. I already have all my bags here, and I can't and won't move. If you want so much, you can have the seat across from me," I replied in a calm tone, quite the contrary to what was going on in my mind. My mom had always taught me that politeness was the way to dealing with situations. I had never listened to her, but looking at all the fan girl behind the two guys, I decided to give it a try. And if it didn't work,………well, I'll just get to deal with it my way. (To those of you who are wondering, I really didn't want them to sit across from me, and I only said it to be polite)

"NO DON"T NATSUME AND RUKA!! SHE JUST WANTS YOU TO SIT IN FRONT OF HER!!" came a an ear shattering scream. "Oh, just SHUT UP! My ears are going to bleed!" I shouted to the crowd, since I didn't know exactly where the scream came from.

Avoiding the glares of the fan girls, the guys, and the other spectators, I looked back at the soccer ball in my hands. I could feel the fan girls burning holes into me (more importantly, I could see their reflection on the window) but Natsume's eyes only looked amused. I could tell that not a lot of people stand up to Natsume and his gang (more like unwanted followers, considering the fact that it looked like he didn't like the fan girls one bit) from the few admiring glances that were thrown at me from some of the spectators.

I heard some shuffling and then gasps, so I looked up to fing myself face to face with Natsume. Ok, maybe not _exactly_ face to face, but he was definitely in the seat in front of me, looking at me with those stupid mesmerizing eyes of his. (Not mesmerizing as in romantic, but mesmerizing as in hypnotic)

"Hey come on Ruka," he said, nodding to the seat beside him. Then he looked at me and said with a voice that could tame a wild horse, (note the sarcasm. The way he was speaking, it sounded like he wanted to kill me…oh joy. Murder on the first day of school) "I'll make sure that this will be your worst train ride ever." I could hear some of the girls swooning and gasping. (How low do they have to go?? Don't they have anything better to do than swoon at everything that he says?)

Despite myself, I gulped. Not because of his open threat, but because of the venom in his voice. This was going to be one _long_ train ride.

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**i hope u like it. please feel free to send me reviews, advice, questions, ...anything.**

**(but it might take me a while to reply, because i'm still new at this... so pl be patient)**

**--A manga freak**

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	2. Arrival

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**Chapter 2 -- Arrival**

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_Why me?? Why can't he go and pick on one of his stupid fan girls?_ This was my first thought as I picked up the empty chips packet that had come flying at my face.

"Hey little girl, go put that in the trash can."

"No. Why should I? You go." I said, throwing the packet back at the sender. Who was the sender, you ask? Well, it was none other than the arrogant toe rag, Natsume Hyuuga. He was still sitting across from me, and even though it's only been about 25 minutes since the train started moving, he's already annoyed the hell out of me. The idiotic bighead has already thrown chocolate wrappers, chips packets, and anything he could get his hands on at me.

"Hn," he grunted and just threw it back at me. I just rolled my eyes and dropped the packet in a plastic bag that was filled with all the trash that Natsume had chucked at me.

I turned my back on him, trying to catch a glimpse of the landscape that was passing by. The scenery had slowly been changing from towering skyscrapers and the glint of metal and glass to the light scattering of trees and pleasant looking communities of brick houses.

"I think the train is slowing down."

"Well, we're probably stopping in another station on the other side of the city," replied Ruka. Even though he was Natsume's friend, Ruka was pretty nice, at least for the time that I've known him (which was about half an hour).

Sure enough, I could see another station looming up, even though it was smaller than the one we had got on. There were a few families lined up, waiting for the train to stop, some exchanging their goodbyes, while others were picking up their bags.

"Koko and Yuu get on here, right?" asked Ruka. "Hn," replied Natsume, looking out of the window, as if he were searching for somebody. I looked at them both, wondering if I should talk or not, but finally curiosity won over. "Who're Koko and Yuu?" I asked, instantly regretting it when I saw Natsume's and Ruka's glares, as though somebody (or _something)_ like me shouldn't even talk to them. (Well, Ruka didn't look like that; he just seemed surprised that I didn't know who they were). "You'll see," was all Ruka said. And I did.

The door of the compartment opened, and I looked up, expecting to see a crazed fan girl trying to get Natsume or Ruka to ask her out, (It already happened two times in the last half hour. Once, Ruka kindly asked her to leave, while the other time, Natsume had simply said, "No. you're ugly.") but instead saw two guys standing there.

The first one had blond hair and glasses, and his clothes were neat and tucked in. If it weren't for the fact that he kind of looked good, (coming from me, that saying something) then I could tell that he would be labeled with the title of 'Nerd' pretty easily.

The guy behind him was the complete opposite of his companion. His straw colored hair was a complete mess, and his clothes were too. He had a big, goofy grin plastered on his face that made me wonder if he ever frowned. His grin grew wider (if that's even possible) as he saw me.

"So Natsume, you finally got yourself a girlfriend!?" asked the guy with the weird smile. Natsume just looked at him, his face expressionless, but his eyes burning holes through the poor guy.

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Oh, is she Ruka's?" I looked up and saw that Ruka's face was bright red, probably even redder than mine.

"I'm not Ruka's, _or_ Natsume's girlfriend," I cut in, before Ruka managed to say something. "I'm just sitting here. Would you mind telling me who _you_ are??"

"If she's not anyone's, could I try my luck??" he asked, taking a step towards me. I glared back at him, stunned. What the hell was he saying??

Luckily, the other guy, (the one with the neat hair) said, "Koko, stop it. She's uncomfortable, can't you tell? Besides, you don't even know her name." I looked at my savior in gratitude, and he seemed to know what I was thinking, because he just smiled at me, and asked, "May I sit beside you?" I nodded, and muttered, "At least you won't make a move on me like that idiot," and then in a louder voice, "What's your name? The guy chuckled, and said, "That would be Koko, and I'm Yuu." So these were the people that Ruka was talking about. Judging from the fact that they seemed looking forward to them, it was kind of obvious that they were their friends.

I heard a small shout from the seat in front of me, and when I looked, saw Natsume and Ruka tackling Koko, who was trying desperately to break free. The moment I looked at them, they stopped, though I could still hear Ruka mumbling things like, "girlfriend, my foot," and "if he says that again, I'll kill him." I stifled a giggle and looked down at my soccer ball, trying to ignore the (extremely loud) conversation that the guys were having.

But when I heard the word soccer coming from someone's mouth, I just had to look up. "What did you say about soccer??" I asked, addressing no one in particular, since I had no clue who had said it.

"Oh, so you like soccer?" asked Koko.

"Well yeah, I think that just _might_ be the reason why I've been holding a ball all this time….."

"Just because you have a ball in your hand doesn't mean that you like soccer!" Koko whined, trying to defend himself. I just rolled my eyes.

The next thing I knew, I was talking to the guys (well, everyone except Natsume who was just sitting there, listening to us talking) about soccer, and then about various things that they felt that I had to know about the school. Surprisingly, Ruka, Yuu, and Koko weren't as bad as they I thought they were. (At least they could have a decent conversation with a girl, unlike many other guys I had known)

Pretty soon, I realized that the train was slowing down again, this time in another town. I looked out he window, trying to see where we were. "The train's stopped again. I wonder if this is the last stop?" I asked, impatient to get to my new school.

"Hello, did anyone hear me?" I asked, wondering why the guys were all suddenly silent. I looked, up and was surprised by what I saw.

All the guys were looking at the door of the compartment, as though some monster was going to come charging at them any moment. Even Natsume looked a bit guarded. I narrowed my eyes, and looked at Yuu, who was sitting beside me. He looked tensed too. Uh oh. "Yuu, what's going on?" I asked, trying not to sound too interested. Yuu looked at me, with an irritated expression on his face. "You know, Mikan, I really think that you should go, before _she_ comes," he said with a shudder.

"Huh?" was all I managed to get out in my confusion. "I don't get it. You sound as though a monster is going to come in at any moment."

I could've sworn I heard Koko say, "You have _no_ idea…"

"You know what," said Natsume with a malicious glint in his eye. "Maybe she should stay, and meet our other ……_friend_."

"Like I have a choice," I muttered, and then a little louder so that everyone could hear. "What do you mean, _friend_?" I asked, doing imaginary quotation marks in the air.

"Oh, you'll see," said Natsume, smirking.

Uh oh. I didn't like where this was going, and I definitely didn't like the way everyone was looking at the door, as though waiting for something. Suddenly, I was aware of small (no, make that very loud) noises from the outside of the compartment. It sounded like a large elephant trying to pass through the narrow corridor. The door handle started rattling, and I couldn't help but hold my breath in anxiety.

When it finally opened, I realized that I was staring into the eyes of girl, about my own age. I almost laughed in relief. _This girl_ was what _they_ seemed all scared about? I looked her up and down. She was wearing a pink tube top, (which was revealing _much_ more than a shirt should) and a white mini skirt that matched her strappy high heels perfectly. There was a pair of white sunglasses in her blonde hair, and her bags were slung across her back. She was probably here to ask Natsume or Ruka out.

"What is _she_ doing here?" asked the girl in an unbearably high pitched and whiny voice.

"This is my seat." I replied calmly. (Well, actually, I tried to be calm. But if I had to hear that stupid voice of hers one more time, then I really think I'll try to murder her.)

"Oh yeah? Well, listen here, missy. That's _my_ seat, so you better move your ass somewhere else."

I just raised my eyebrows at her (counting to ten in my head) and said, "Make me."

That seemed to hit the target, because the next thing I knew, she pouted, stomped her feet, and said, (in the most annoying voice _ever_) "Natsume, _darling_, look at what this… this," she looked me up and down, "this _slut_ is saying!"

"You've done it now," I growled, balling up my fists. There was no way that _anyone_ got away with saying that to my face. _ANYONE_.

All I remembered afterwards was the feeling of soft skin under my fist, and then a few pairs of strong arms pulling me back. The girl was howling incomprehensible words (most likely curses) as she ran out of the compartment, slamming the door behind her.

And then there was silence.

I was brought out of my daze by the sudden howl of laughter. I looked around and saw Koko rolling around on the floor, laughing so much that tears were coming out of his eyes. Yuu slapped me on my back, laughing as well. (though not in hysterics like Koko of course.) "Wow. I've been waiting a _long_ time for that to happen," said Ruka.

"What do you mean?? And who the hell was that bitch?"

"Well actually, bitch might be a little of an understatement," replied Ruka, smiling. "Anyways, that was your first encounter with Luna Koizumi."

"Yeah. She's been trying to get one them," said Koko, referring to Ruka and Natsume. (who still looked as uninterested as ever, except for the smirk plastered on his face) "to ask her out for like, ever. Of course, she still doesn't seem to get that it will _never _happen. By the way, that was one killer punch. I'd like to see how black it's going to be in the tomorrow," he said, acting as though some imaginary hand had punched him, and landed in Yuu's arms (Who just dropped him).

"Luna Koizumi, eh??" I breathed, not really intending for anyone to hear. "I swear if I ever see her again, I'll murder her."

Pretty soon, we were at the Academy. Well actually, we were at the station on the outskirts of the school campus. (I told you Alice Academy was big, didn't I?) There were a few buses that were waiting in the small station, and we were told to divide ourselves into freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. We were supposed to leave our bags with our names on them, and they weer to be delivered to our rooms later.

The freshmen would be getting a full tour of the campus, and I quickly piled into one of the three buses that were waiting for us. I slipped past the long line, and into the bus, trying to claim a window seat.

"Hey little girl, are you stalking us or something?" asked a all too familiar voice.

"Natsume, just do me a favor and shut up, all right? The world will probably be a much better place without your rambling."

I didn't get to hear Natsume's reply, because at that moment the bus moved, and the bus was filled with protests as the fell on their neighbors. With surprising quickness, Natsume, Ruka, Yuu, and Koko had all sat down in the two seats across from me.

The tour began, but I didn't get much more information than what Ana, Nonoko, and the guys had said earlier. In about an hour, we were dropped off at the head office for getting our room numbers and our schedules.

"Mikan Sakura," called the lady at the reception desk.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied, walking towards the desk.

"Here you go, this is your schedule, your student handbook, your map of the campus, and you're in room number 506 with…." she said flipping through a sheaf of papers on the desk. "Ah, here it is! Your roommate is Ms. Hotaru Imai. Here's your key. If you ever loose it, you could come back here to get a spare." She flipped through another sheaf of papers, and said, "You have all your forms filled out, so you're free to go!" I smiled at her, saying, "Thanks."

The overall campus was easy to find my way around. But I was way more worried about how to find my way inside the buildings. There were just so many turns, and corridors, and…well, you get the picture.

I don't know how I did it, but I finally managed to find the way to my room. (I had to use one of the small buses that went all over campus to get from the head office to my dorm.) I wondered if my roommate was nice. I mean, I'm literally going to stay with her in all my four years of high school, and I wouldn't like it if she was some awful bitch like _Luna Koizumi_.

I opened the door cautiously, and peeked inside. Hotaru Imai was definitely not who I expected.

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**So, how was it? Ok, i'll make a deal. I get 10 reviews, and i'll post the next chapter. And trust me, its interesting. . . .**


	3. The Match

Chapter 3 – The Match

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I walked inside my new dorm room, trying not to notice the weird contraptions that littered the floor. I focused my attention on a). Not tripping over before mentioned contraptions, and b). The girl bent over desk with a screwdriver and a wrench in her hand. "Um, what are you doing?" I asked cautiously. It seemed as if the girl hadn't seen me come in, because she looked up with narrowed eyes.

She had pale skin, and her hair was black and cropped short. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of violet and on her face was an expression of surprise. All in all, she looked completely like one of those porcelain dolls that were in the cupboard back at home.

"That's none of your business. Who are _you_ anyway?"

"I'm Mikan Sakura. I think that you're my new roommate, Hotaru, right?" I asked. It was amazing how Hotaru's expression had changed from surprise to indifference in less than a second.

"Oh. Well then, we'll have to set some ground rules," she said, approaching from behind the desk. "That room," she said, indicating the one on the right. "is yours. This one," she pointed to the left room. "is mine. You are to never set foot in my room, _ever_. I'll need help moving all of my equipment to my room, so I suggest you get started." Wow, talk about being cold. I helped Hotaru pick up her "equipment" and carry it to her room. Normally, I would argue, but I was way too tired from the journey, that I didn't even bother. Besides, I would have all year to argue with her if I had to.

Once all the debris was cleared, and Hotaru was in her room, (there were _very_ weird sounds coming from it, though I tried not to think about what she might be doing in there) I finally focused on the dorm. It was quite big, and it looked more like an apartment. There was a simple living room, with two black sofas and a glass coffee table, all facing the small TV. Behind the sofas, there were the bedrooms, Hotaru's and mine. Branching off from the living room was the bathroom on the left, and the kitchen on the right. Feeling curious, I decided to check out the kitchen. There wasn't much, except a fridge, (the small ones you find in hotels next to your bed) a microwave, a stove, and a store cupboard.

I looked at my watch and gasped at the time. It was already six, and I had wanted to go and checkout the soccer field before unpacking. Oh well. There was always tomorrow. (tomorrow was Sunday, and the semester began on Monday) I looked around for my bags, but didn't find it anywhere.

I was about to knock on Hotaru's door, so that I could ask her if her bags had come yet, when I heard a knock on the door. I hesitated before answering. Who would come to visit barely ten minutes I had just arrived? But then I heard a knock again, so I opened the door, and ended up face-to-face with a man. (who had the ugliest expression in the world)

"Miss, is there a Mikan, or a Hotaru in the vicinity?" he asked, looking at a piece of paper in his hand.

"Yeah, that would be-"

"Well, could you sign here then?" said the man, his expression even more sour.

I looked at the paper he was holding, and just nodded once. I definitely didn't want to talk to this guy. "Here are your bags," he said, shoving a cart at me. I barely dodged it before it hit the wall.

"Watch it," I cautioned. I could tell that I was close to being a Mikan pancake. The guy just shrugged, as though near death experiences were common for him. "Do you need help unloading the cart?" was all he said. How rude. But I knew that I would never be able to get everything in the room, so I just nodded.

When the guy was gone, and there was a huge pile of bags near the door, I walked across to Hotaru's room. I knocked, and said, "Umm, Hotaru? The bags are here. Don't you want to unpack?" I heard nothing from inside, but the next thing I knew, there was a small clicking sound, the door was open, and in the doorway was . . .. well, Hotaru. Her face was blank as always, and I wondered if she really saw me there. "If you know what's good for you, you won't try to come near my room ever again."

I just stared at her. Was she for real? I mean, come on. I just got close to her room. I mean, what's going to happen?? And that's just what I asked her. Surprisingly, instead of the usual expressionless face, I got a small smile. WOW. The ice-queen smiled. "You know, you got guts. Maybe a little too much for your own good, but still. You got guts," she said, and her face was again expressionless. "Anyway, where did you say the bags were?" I nodded to the door, and I couldn't help but smile. I could tell that Hotaru was a hard person to get close to, especially with that mask of indifference that she always wears.

The rest of the evening was spent unpacking, and when we were done (Yeah, for once Hotaru actually helped. Not much, but still, she helped) we slumped on the couch. We decided that since there wasn't anything to make for dinner (and neither of us was a good cook) that we should order in from central town. I was pretty surprised that any school could have a restaurant (much less one that delivered) on the campus. So obviously, I rushed to the door the moment I heard the bell ring, trying to sniff the air. (Hey, we don't order in much – there was always someone in the house to cook anything that we could buy outside)

I opened the door, and saw that another guy was standing there in full uniform, looking perplexed as he saw me sniffing the boxes of pizza in his hand. "Don't make a fool of yourself," said Hotaru, brushing past me to pay the delivery guy. I nodded, blushing at the thought of stupid I must have looked.

"Hey Hotaru? Can you come with me around the school tomorrow? I would go myself, but I really think that I would get lost," I asked as we were eating pizza. I watched as she looked me up and down.

"Normally, I would say no, but since I need to get a few things myself …. I'll come."

"Thanks," I said. Wow, that was quick. I thought that I would have to beg her for hours to get her to come.

The moment we finished eating our pizza, Hotaru disappeared into her room. I was really tired, and I would have been more than happy to follow her, (to my room, of course, not hers) but I knew that trying to sleep would be a useless attempt. I was used to sleeping as late as five in the morning on Saturdays, (due to my parents always taking me out, usually on trips to one of their colleagues' _boring _dinner parties) and like they say, old habits die hard. So instead of trying to sleep, I turned on the TV, flicking through the channels.

"You know, the reason they have bedrooms is for people to sleep in them,"

What was that voice? Why did it sound so familiar? And why was I not in my bedroom, with the ever so annoying sound of my alarm clock waking me up? Then suddenly, everything dawned on me. I wasn't at home, I was in my dorm at Alice Academy, and the voice that had acted as the substitute for my alarm clock was Hotaru's.

I stretched, yawning. "What time is it?" I asked. I tried to get up, but my body was cramped up from falling asleep on the couch.

Hotaru looked down at me, and without glancing at her watch, replied, "It's nine. You should be ready by ten."

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and got up, stretching again. "Sure. Whatever," I mumbled, stumbling across to my room. I glanced at my bed longingly. I never wake up earlier than eleven on Saturdays, but I knew that I would have to get a move on if I wanted Hotaru to come with me. Besides, if I could get her to show me where the soccer field was, then I could play the moment I had a chance. With this in mind, I opened my closet, and took out a t-shirt and sweats. (I could tell that if Hotaru was going to central town, then we would probably be doing more than a little walking, and what was more comfortable to walk in than sweats?) I walked back out, to the bathroom, and took a nice hot shower that relaxed my cramped limbs.

By the time I came out, I saw Hotaru sitting in front of the TV, surfing through the channels. "There's some pizza out on the counter, if you want some," she said, without looking at me.

"Thanks," I replied, and popped a slice of pizza in the microwave. As it started to rotate quietly, I looked back at what Hotaru was watching. It was the school's channel, (The school pays some of its students to do small documentaries and announce events about the school on a separate channel that was only available within the campus. How _cool_ was _that_??) and there was a small girl with black hair welcoming back the students for the new school year.

"Hurry up. Apparently there's a sale at the warehouse. Up to 50 off, and I'm definitely not going to miss it."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming," I said, shoving the last piece of pizza in my mouth. "Just let me get something first." I ran into my room, grabbed my soccer ball and my purse and joined Hotaru at the door.

"Ready? Make sure you have some money. We're probably going to eat out."

"Don't worry, I got it covered," I responded, checking my purse.

"Wait a sec," said Hotaru, locking the door behind her. "Why do you have a soccer ball?"

"Oh, I was hoping that I would be able to play in the field whenever I had a chance. You know, like after you're done with your um…. shopping."

Hotaru just raised her eyebrows, walking down the long corridor. Again, I felt as though I would never be able to find my way out of the labyrinth of hallways and rooms. I made a mental note to myself to memorize the map of the school whenever I got the chance. Trying not to focus on the turns and twists, I instead focused on Hotaru's back.

"Hey Hotaru," I asked when we were out of the building. (Surprisingly, it didn't look as big on the outside) "are we going to walk all the way to central town?"

"No, of course not," she said, snickering. "_you're_ going to walk all the way. _I'm_ not."

"Argg, Hotaru!! Do you know how far that is?" I said, groaning. "Besides, how are _you_ getting there if _I_ have to walk?"

Hotaru just glanced around, as if she was looking for something. "Ah, there it is," she said, heading towards a small parking lot. (There were only a few cars there, and they most probably belonged to the people who drove to school each day rather than staying in the dorms) She took out a remote control and turned it on. She fiddled with the buttons a bit, and then I heard a whirring noise. I held my breath. What in the world was she doing??

My question was answered as a sleek back sports car turned the corner to stop directly in front of us. I peeked through the windows, and was shocked to see that there wasn't anyone driving it. Hotaru just snickered at my expression and got in the driver's seat. I didn't have the time to focus on magic auto pilot-ing cars at that moment. I had a worse problem on my hands. How in the world was I going to walk all the way to central town??

"Hotaru, please. Can I come with you?" I asked, trying my best puppy dog face. (Not that it worked, of course. Hotaru just looked colder)

"Fine," I nearly jumped up in excitement. "….but, you're going to have to pay me."

My eyebrow twitched. That was so like Hotaru. "How do you expect me to pay you back?" I asked slowly.

"Oh, you'll see…" said Hotaru. (I could really picture her with horns right now..)

I just sighed, opening the car door. Once she was driving towards Central Town, I couldn't help but ask her the questions that had been nagging me ever since I saw the car. "Is this car remote controlled, or something? And why do you even _have_ a car in the first place? It isn't like you have to drive to school everyday. How did you get it here , if you came in the train?" I asked.

"Be quiet for a moment, and give me time to answer. The car is remote controlled, as any dim-witted idiot can see. And of course, I have certain special … _connections _who would be willing to transport my car here for use within the school grounds." But no matter how much I pestered her, she wouldn't tell me who her special _'connections' _were. I would really love to not have to depend on the buses to get around school. Half of the time, they don't show up when they're supposed to. That is, if they show up at all.

Soon, we were in Central Town, and I could see the early customers (It was only about ten – thanks to our head start – and most people would start showing up at eleven.) moving around, some with shopping bags in their hands, some talking on their phones, and all looking sleepy. The shops on this side looked small and insignificant, but as we drove farther and farther into the town, I could see that they were getting bigger (and fancier).

"We're here," said Hotaru, cutting the engine. I got out, looking around at my surroundings. We were parked in front of a huge building. I couldn't tell what the shops name was (or if it was even a shop at all) due to the lack of any distinguishing signs or billboards.

"Hotaru, where are we?" I asked.

"It's a warehouse. You might want to wait inside the car. It's going to be boring inside," she replied, tossing the keys to me. I caught them (thanks to my superb hand-eye coordination that I had gained in soccer) and I headed back to the car. I was sure that I didn't want to spend time in a warehouse, no matter what was in it. (Knowing Hotaru, it was probably just parts that she needed for one of her many gadgets) Especially this one, considering how uninviting it looked.

After about thirty minutes of fiddling with the radio, Hotaru showed up again, this time with piles of scrap metal and other parceled stuff in her arms. She shoved them into the back seat, and got in.

"So, where are we going now?" I asked, a bit enthusiastic. I normally wasn't fond of shopping, but Central Town was an exception. It was awesome.

Hotaru glanced at her watch, then looked back at me. We have a little time before lunch. Want to look around?" she asked.

"Um, sure," I said. I was a bit unsure how to act to Hotaru's sudden act of kindness. The next thing I knew, we were speeding down the streets in Central Town.

Normally, I would be almost uncontrollable in my happiness that I would be able to get out on the field, where I could be myself and not care about what anybody thought. (Then again, I never did care about what anybody thought) Where I could truly enjoy the feeling of wind in my hair, and the grass under my feet.

And don't get me wrong. I was totally looking forward to getting on the soccer field; it's just that I wasn't looking forward to the big figures that were jogging on it.

"Looks like there's somebody out there. Good luck trying to find a way back to the dorm." Hotaru stopped the car, waiting for me to get out.

"Huh?" I asked, confused. "What do you mean? Don't tell me that you're leaving without me."

"I'm leaving without you," said Hotaru. "And don't give me that look. First of all, you owe me enough already, and second of all, it doesn't work. (I was trying to do a puppy dog face)" Hotaru slammed the door on me, and sped away. Great. Now I was going to have to walk back. But then again, I was happy that I would be able play soccer.

It was then that remembered that I wasn't the only one on the field. I turned around, and saw that a) the figures had stopped running, and were staring at me. And b) they were walking towards me. I tried to keep my breath even as I saw that they were headed towards me. As they got closer, I saw that there were three guys, all three of them shirtless.

"Oi, little girl. We're playing. So leave," came an all too familiar voice. Natsume's. At the last moment, I saw that the two other guys were none other than Ruka and Koko.

"No. Why should I? I have the right to play here as much as you do," I said, after I got over the shock of seeing all of three guys' well-defined abs. (Just to make it clear – I do _not_ fall after every guy I see who had a six-pack. Actually, a lot of the guys in my karate class had six-packs, and I certainly _did not_ fall for any of them. It was just a shock, that's all)

Ruka looked actually a bit pleased to see me, and Koko, well, he looked just like Koko. (You know, with the big goofy grin and all) "Hey, Mikan," said Koko. "Yeah," Ruka nodded in agreement. I smiled at both of them, and then turned back to Natsume.

"Ok, here's the deal, little girl," began Natusme. I had a feeling that he was up to no good. "We'll play one on one. Me against you. If you make one goal in the next twenty minutes, then I'll let you play.

"You're joking me right? Like I said before, I have as much right to play here as you do," I said. I looked at Natsume, and was surprised that there was a smug expression on his face. "What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

Natsume brushed past me, saying one word as he passed. "Chicken."

Oh no he didn't. No one had called me chicken ever since third grade. (Don't worry, that was resolved by a quick punch in the face) I twirled around, (I would have grabbed his shirt, but unfortunately, he wasn't wearing one) and ran, skidding to a stop in front of him. "You're on," I hissed, aware of the change in Natsume's expression. Now, it didn't look as smug as it did before, and instead, there was a smirk on his face.

Koko wolf whistled, "GO MIKAN!" until he was silenced by Ruka. (I would say that there was no violence involved, but then I would be lying)

I moved into position in the middle of the field. What had I gotten myself into? I had been thinking of practicing some of my new moves (alone) and now I was playing a match against some freak. Hooray. Oh well, what's done is done I thought as I watched the ball drop in between us.

Let the match begin.

* * *

**Hey, sorry it took me so long. The internet wasnt working, and i had a tne page essay to do. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, all of you. I wonder if i could get twenty reviews this time?? Well, its all up to you. **

**--A manga freak  
**

p.s. dont forget to tell me how the chapter was.


	4. First day

**Chapter 4 – First Day**

* * *

I kicked the ball heading to the goal post, letting myself forget everything else besides the ball. I had only one purpose right now, and that was to kick Natsume's butt. And with the ball in my hands (er, feet) my objective was becoming really easy. I looked up, and saw that I was almost to the goal, and there wasn't a Natsume in sight. I looked back down, and saw that the ball wasn't there anymore.

"Catch me if you can!" I turned towards the voice, and saw Natsume. He had his right foot on the ball, and his arms folded across his chest. I scowled. I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as I had thought it was. Noticing my gaze, Natsume smirked, and started to run to the goal.

I was almost frozen (almost, but not quite) with shock. As much as I hated to admit it, Natsume really looked good when he was in action. His raven hair was flying in the wind, and his muscles were rippling. The way he moved seemed graceful too. I blinked. There was no way that I would lose this match. Even if I was up against Adonis himself.

By the time I knew it, we had already played for thirty minutes, and neither of us had scored a goal. That was unusual for me; normally, I could make at least one goal in thirty minutes. Either I wasn't playing like I normally do, or (I definitely didn't want this to be true) Natsume was just that good.

"Just give up already," called Natsume as I caught up to him, trying to get the ball. "We both know that you could never win against _me_," he said, smirking.

I groaned. Just like him to be full of himself. "You realize that neither of us has scored a goal? So that means that nobody is in the lead."

He frowned, before it was replaced by his usual smirk. "Yeah, but I'm about to change that."

I rolled my eyes. "Dream on, Hyuuga." I saw an opening, and I swerved around him, coming up on his other side with the ball in between my legs. "Ha!" I shouted, taking pleasure in seeing the scowl on his face.

I leaned down to kick, but instead of the ball, I felt something hard, and longer. The next thing I knew, I was lying on top of Natsume. "Falling for me already, little girl? And here I thought that you were different than the others."

"Ugh!" I screamed. (But from this point of view, I had to admit that he looked really good, even with the sweat lining his hair. He also _felt _good. ) "I'm not falling _for you_, Hyuuga, I unfortunately fell _on you_. Besides, if it weren't for your stupid foot tripping me, I wouldn't even be here."

"Yeah, right," said Natsume, smirking. "You can make up whatever excuses you want to, but it won't change anything."

"For the last time, Hyuuga. **I don't like you**."

"Oh yeah? Then why are you still on top of me?"

I looked down, and realized that he was right. Why was I still on top of him?? I scrambled to get up fighting the blush that was creeping up my cheeks. "That doesn't prove anything."

"Uh huh. _Sure_ it doesn't."

"Look, do you want to play, or not?" I snapped.

"Fine."

* * *

"Hyuuga, I think we should stop," I panted, plopping down on the prickly grass. We had played for a long time, and neither of us had scored a goal. It was well into the night, but we had continued playing by the light of the bright floodlights. Koko and Ruka had left hours before, after trying to persuade us to the match.

"Giving up already, little girl?" Natsume asked, sitting down in front of me. (Not too close of course. I would slap him if he tried to get closer than a five feet radius)

"You know I'm not," I said, too tired to argue. "If I could, I would still play. But I can't, because I have to walk all the way to my dorm, - who knows how long it will take me to find the way back – and I don't want to over sleep for my first day of school."

"Why don't you take the bus?" he asked.

"Well, all the buses are gone, because it's almost ten right now." I glanced at my watch. Actually, it was over ten. More like eleven. This isn't good. What if I ended up getting lost, and had to sleep on the road?

"You know," he began, sounding as indifferent as always. "I could drop you off. That is, if you want."

I stared at him. Was _The_ Natsume Hyuuga actually offering to drop me off? Well, I couldn't decline. I mean, what if I really _did_ get lost? I didn't even have my map with me. "Sure," I said, not trusting myself to say anymore.

Surprisingly, for once, Natsume didn't make any perverted jokes. Instead, he nodded, and started searching for something. When he pulled it out, I saw that it was his car keys. "You're coming or not?" he asked, getting up. I nodded and followed him.

He got into the driver's seat of a black car. I couldn't tell in the darkness, but I was pretty sure that it was expensive. At least, that was what I got out of the leather seats, the hi-tech stereo and all. I followed into the passenger seat, closing the door behind me. "Nice car," I commented.

"Thanks," he muttered, turning up the radio.

The rest of the ride was in silence, except for the music. "I thought that you would be fan of heavy metal, or rock or something," I said, indicating the stereo. The music was really soft, and sounded like something that they play in hotel lobbies.

Natsume raised his eyebrows. "Are you kidding me?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "I _hate_ heavy metal. Hurts my ears with all their screaming."

My eyes grew wide. "Me too!" Was it possible that me and Natsume could have anything in common, or was the world just coming to an end? The second option would have made much more sense.

"Really? Are you sure that you aren't just saying that to be like me?"

"Why would I do that?" I asked. The old (arrogant, obnoxious, egoistic, … the list just goes on and on) Natsume was back again. I knew it was too good to last.

"'Cause you're in love with me," he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I snorted. "In which crazy parallel dimension would _I _be in love with _you_?" Not waiting for his answer, I looked outside and saw that we were almost at the dorm. "Oh look. There's my stop."

Natsume frowned, but stopped anyway. I got out, and walked over to the driver's seat. He rolled down the window, asking, "What?"

"As much as I hate to say it, I still have to, so…Thank you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Come here, little girl," he said, pulling me down to the window by my collar. (Gently, though. I would have punched him if he hurt me in any way. That doesn't mean that I wasn't thinking of punching him right now, of course) "You know," he whispered. I really didn't like the way that his lips tickled my ear. "I always get what I want. No matter what, or _who_ it is." He released me, and I staggered back. I had no clue what to make of what he had said. He snickered at my expression, and waved before he rolled up his window and took off down the road.

* * *

I looked myself in the mirror. I was wearing the Academy's uniform; a white, short-sleeved shirt, a red and black checkered skirt (actually, it only came down to the middle of my thighs, so I should really call it a mini-skirt) a black blazer, and a red and black checkered tie. The school insignia – a golden star with the letter 'A' etched into it – was on pinned on the breast pocket of the blazer. Since we were allowed to wear any shoes, I put on zip-up boots that almost came up to my knees. I reached up and loosened the tie, so that I would be able to move around freely. "There," I muttered to myself. I looked pretty good in it, even though I _despised_ skirts. Especially ones that didn't reach until my knees.

"You ready?" called Hotaru from outside.

"Yeah." I opened the door, and saw Hotaru looking at me. "What's for breakfast?"

"Cereal," she said, moving to sit on the sofa. She picked up the remote and turned the TV on, watching the news. I walked over to the table, poured cereal in the bowl and started eating it dry. The moment I was done, we walked outside and got into Hotaru's car.

We didn't talk much on the way there, but the moment I saw the school building, I knew that even if I wanted to, I couldn't have spoken a word. It was just so _big_. And you would think that being the daughter of a very successful business man I had already been exposed to all the grandeur that people would die to see… but here, I saw that I had missed one important place on my 'must visit' list.

The high school building looked more like a palace than a school. The driveway split in two around halfway through, to make space for a huge ornamental fountain, and then rejoined before it reached the entrance to the building. The left path branched of into the small parking lot, and the right one led to the gardens near the back of the school. There were large, newly polished marble columns near the entrance, along with a couple of bushes trimmed into the shape of birds. The school itself was only about three stories high, though I could see that it spread out for more than thrice the size of my old school. And this was only the high school block!

"If you don't shut your mouth soon, then a bug's going to fly into it."

"Huh? What?" I asked, stunned. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Sorry." I got out of the car, running after Hotaru. I didn't trust myself enough to find my own way around the school.

I really didn't know where Hotaru was leading us, but I tied to make a note of the twists and turns and room numbers as they whizzed by. Finally, she stopped at a room, and said, "This is our homeroom. You might want to remember it, 'cause I'm not going to walk you to the door any more than I have to."

"Don't worry, I don't want you to," I muttered. (I mean, the way she put it, it was like I was a overactive child that needed to be looked after every moment) "Anyways," I said, louder so that she could hear. "by _our_ homeroom, do you mean that you have the same homeroom as me?" I questioned.

"No. Actually, this isn't my original room," she said, sounding mischievous. "But, with a little…_persuading_, I managed to convince the teachers that changing my homeroom would be the right thing to do."

I snorted at that. _Hotaru_?? _Persuading_?? Yeah, more like black mailing. I fought to suppress my chuckles as a picture of Hotaru holding some of the teachers captives in a store cupboard flashed in my mind. "Really? You changed your homeroom to be with _me_?" I asked mockingly, making my voice go all high-pitched like the girls on the cheerleading squad back at home.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. I changed to be with my boyfriend, not you." I pretended to look hurt, but inside, I was really curious. I wonder who her boyfriend was…I pushed the door open, walking inside.

The first thing I noticed was that the room got all silent when me and Hotaru walked in. I didn't bother with introductions, but began looking for an empty seat. It was then that I noticed that they weren't looking at me, but at Hotaru. They looked intense and expecting, almost heating up the atmosphere with their stares. I followed their gaze, 'cause obviously they were waiting for her to do something. Hotaru seemed as indifferent as ever though, and just stood there at the front of the class coolly, as thought there wasn't anybody in front of her. Finally, she sighed and walked over to one of the free benches and sat down. Instantly, the atmosphere cooled, and everybody let out their breaths at the same time.

I was still at the front of the classroom, and I was starting to get calculating looks. Before I was asked to introduce myself, I went and sat down I one of the benches at the back of the class. (I would've sat next to Hotaru, but she gave me a don't-sit-here-or-else look, so I didn't bother. I wonder if that seat was reserved for her 'boyfriend', whoever he was…) I had barely sat down when I heard the door opening, and feminine gasps erupting all over the class. I looked up, expecting to see Brad Pitt, or some movie star, and I end up seeing…who else? Natsume and his gang. (At least that would explain the gasps.)

"Hey little girl, are you sure that you aren't stalking us?" asked Natsume, walking slowly up to my desk. I was consciously aware of the many pairs of eyes that were staring at Natsume and me, as though we were some sort of TV show or something.

"I should ask you the same thing," I replied. Why did I feel the sudden warmth creeping up my cheeks? And why did I feel like I had butterflies in my stomach? And above all, why was my heart suddenly beating so hard? I had no answer to any of this though, and I just concentrated on not meeting anybody's gaze.

"I guess you should," he answered, taking another step towards me. I suddenly remembered in all too vivid detail what had happened the night before…but Natsume wouldn't do anything with so many people watching, right?

"Umm…yeah…right…I should…" Why was it so hard to frame a coherent question with him around? I never had this problem before, even when I was meeting famous movie stars…What was happening to me?? Natsume chuckled (no, more like snickered, but anyways), sitting down on the desk beside me. I shook my head, like I was trying to get rid of some kind of drug. "What do you think you're doing," I asked, more intelligibly. At least the shaking helped.

"I'm sitting. That should be obvious, right?" I could hear some giggles in the background. Why were they laughing? That wasn't even funny! It was just downright annoying.

"Yeah, but _where_ are you sitting?" I scowled at his sarcasm.

"Next to you. That should also be obvious. Are you sure that you don't need glasses?" More giggles. This was getting really frustrating.

"I _know_ you're sitting next to me," I growled. "I'm asking why you can't sit somewhere else. There are so many more benches available!" I said, pointing around the class without really looking.

"You might want to look again."

I looked around, and saw that all the empty places were occupied by Natsume's friends. Ruka was sitting next to Hotaru (could he be her boyfiend??…Nah, that was impossible) and Yuu and Koko were both seated near the front of the class. "Oh."

"Yeah. So, unfortunately, the only open space is next to you."

I glared at him. "What do you mean 'unfortunately'?" I hissed.

Natsume just smirked. "I mean exactly what I say." I groaned. Why couldn't people tell you the reason and be done with it?? Oh no, they just _had_ to speak in riddles.

"Hey, could you two find a room before you start making out?" I turned towards the voice, cracking my knuckles. Whoever said that was gonna land in the hospital today. "I mean, its bad enough that we have to watch you flirt." I glared at the voice – a grinning Koko. Of course, Koko didn't seem to realize the change in my expression, (either that or he was just dumb) cause he just kept on grinning.

"Koko," I said, grinding my teeth together, not bothering with concealing my anger. "You're a dead man."

I ran at him, but before I could make contact with his thick head, I felt a pair of strong arms pulling me back. I struggled, but the arms just squeezed me tighter. "Who know," a soft voice whispered in my ear. "I don't think Koko will look so good with an eye out." I froze. Not because I actually cared about what Koko would look like one-eyed, but because the pairs of arms belonged to Natsume.

I pulled out of them, and this time, his arms loosened. I was surprised to see that my cheeks had become flushed, and that my hands were sweaty. Something was really wrong with me. Maybe I should go to the doctor's after school…

"Good morning, class!" a voice interrupted. It sounded all happy, as though everything in the world was all right. (And it was _not_.) "I see that we have a new student! Why don't you come up to the front and introduce yourself?" I looked at the speaker, and saw that it was a blonde guy with very… unique clothes. I hadn't seen so many ribbons and ruffles since the last time I'd been to a wedding. (and let me tell you, that was a _long_ time ago) "I'm Mr. Narumi, I'll be your homeroom teacher. And you are…?" he asked, still smiling.

"Great. I have a psycho as my teacher," I muttered, walking up to the blonde guy. (I was pretty sure that he was the teacher) "Hi. The name's Mikan. Mikan Sakura." I hadn't been paying attention before when I had first walked into the class, but now I noticed some familiar faces.

Ana and Nonoko were both sitting in the benches near the front of the classroom with expressions of awe on their faces. I looked back at them and waved. Their expressions didn't change, except for their mouths literally dropping out of their sockets. (I doubt that they could've said anything even if they wanted too, but I honestly didn't understand what was so surprising) I shrugged, and walked past them, sitting on my seat. (that was unfortunately now next to Natsume's)

* * *

"Wow…That's all I can say…Wow."

I rolled my eyes. "Ana, that's all you've been saying since the last…oh I don't know. Three hours?" I picked at my salad and forked it into my mouth, chewing slowly. The school food was actually good, at least better than what they usually serve in school cafeterias. "Besides, what's so 'wow' about having to sit next to an arrogant jerk like Natsume?"

The day had gone by quickly, changing from chemistry, to English, and then to math, and before I knew it, it was already lunch. I had figured out (by tossing paper balls across the room to Ana and Nonoko) that Narumi was supposed to be very nice, though he dressed in an _unusual_ way. (Well, I could obviously tell that)

"You don't get it!" replied Nonoko, sitting on my other side. "He actually _hugged_ you!! You should be screaming in joy!"

"Nonoko, he didn't hug me. He was just restraining me from taking out his best friends' eye," I replied. I was tired of explaining this to everybody who asked. And tired of everybody giving me quizzical looks.

"Yeah, but the way he did it –"

"It was just so _cute_!" interrupted Ana.

"Yeah, sure," I sighed. It was bad enough that every time I closed my eyes I got the feeling of his arms around me, and his lips tickling my ear, without having to _talk_ about it too. "Whatever."

I pushed my chair back, going to dump my uneaten salad in the trashcan, but I ended up colliding with Hotaru in the process. "I saw you flirting with Hyuuga in the class today," she said impassively.

"Oh Hotaru, not you too!" I groaned. "You of all people would know that I would never flirt with Natsume, even if I were paid a million bucks to do it."

Hotaru smirked. "I was being sarcastic, idiot. Besides, even a dope like you wouldn't choose Natsume to fall for."

I frowned at her. "What about you? Didn't think that you would fall for Ruka."

"You know," she said, shooting daggers at me. "If you know what's good for you, then you won't say that again."

I flinched, but grinned. At least I knew who Hotaru's mystery boyfriend was. "Sure, sure." I looked back at Ana and Nonoko, who were talking to each other. (Probably about how best to ask Koko or Yuu on a date.) "Bye guys," I called, looking back over my shoulder as I walked with Hotaru to the exit.

"See you last period," she called as we walked down the corridor.

"Sure," I said, not even recalling what the last period was. All that was in my mind right now was the twists and turns that led to biology.

* * *

"Oh, so this is what last period is," I said as I walked to photography class. The last period was electives, where the students were asked to choose a hobby that they would like to improve on during their time in school. Unfortunately, the school didn't count soccer as a hobby, (How unfair!) and the only reasonable choice was photography. (Unless you went to drama, or dance or something, and I certainly _did not_ want to be seen on stage with a stupid costume)

I pushed the door open to the room, and saw that a lot of the students were already there, sitting on desks, or simply standing. They all turned their heads towards me when I entered. This time, I looked through the crowd in search of familiar faces, and unfortunately, found quite a few. Ana and Nonoko were sitting near the front of the classroom again, while Hotaru was discussing something with Ruka. Natsume was leaning against the wall, half reading some sort of comic book, and half listening to Koko and Yuu talking nearby. But the worst face was one I recognized from the train journey here, and one I _never_ wanted to see again – Luna Koizumi.

* * *

**Hows the story? i personally think that this chapter was boring, but that just me. (dont worry, if you agree with me, the next one is better)**

**I've been thinking about moving the story a bit away from soccer, so could u guys tell me wat u think about that? Thanks. **

**The next chapter is called -- Partners. (No sneak peeks!)**


	5. Partners

Chapter 5 – Partners Chapter 5 – Partners

* * *

"Oh, great," I moaned, rolling my eyes. "I have a _bitch_ in my class." I knew that I was provoking her, since Luna hadn't said anything to me in the past five minutes. (Of course, both of us had been shocked into paralysis since the past five minutes, but whatever.)

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked instead. "I hope you aren't here to flirt with Natsume. He's already taken." She twisted back in her seat to look at Natsume and when she saw that he didn't look murderous, (well, why would he? He looked so completely immersed in his comic book, that I doubted he could even hear us) she turned to look at me with an expression of conceit. "By me."

I laughed so hard that I had to grasp the wall for support. "By _you_? Yeah, there are two problems with that," I said in between snickers. "First, I doubt _he _would date something as ugly as _you_. Second," I straightened up, my expression suddenly serious, "he is _not_ taken." I fought the urge to cover my mouth and scream. What did I just say? Was I actually defending Natsume??

"Natsume, darling," cried Luna, running to Natsume, where she instantly attached herself to his arm. "Look what she's saying to me!"

I really didn't know what Luna was expecting, but it was certainly not what she got. "Get off me, you pig," grunted Natsume, irritated that he had been disturbed while he was reading his comic book.

He shook her off, and Luna stared at him, her eyes welling up in tears. "How could you, Natsume?" she wailed, running out the door.

The room was silent for a minute, then we all burst into laughter. Koko was rolling on the ground, and even Yuu was laughing so hard that his eyes were watering. I fought my way through the crowd of people (most of which were on the floor, like Koko) over to where Ana and Nonoko were sitting. (Hotaru looked busy talking to Ruka) They were both giggling too, and the moment they saw me they burst out talking.

"OH MY GOD. That was so cool! You should've seen Luna's face!"

"Yeah, she looked _horrible_!"

"I haven't seen her like that since Koko pushed her into the pool last year."

"That was Koko? I thought it was Yuu."

"Don't be ridiculous. Yuu's much too nice to do that," said Ana, going into an almost dream-like state.

"Yoo hoo," I said, waving my hand in front of her. "Please don't tell me that you're going all lovey dovey about Yuu." Ana snapped back from her dream (something told me that I didn't want to know what it was about) and started blushing like crazy.

The door opened, and everyone stopped talking, watching the entrance. "Well, hello everyone, its nice to see you all again," sang an all too familiar voice.

"Hey Mr.Narumi," called a few voices, but the rest were still giggling over Luna's dramatic escape.

I groaned, mouthing 'Narumi?' at Ana and Nonoko. They shrugged, and turned their attention to the teacher.

"I see quite a few familiar faces here," said Narumi, sitting down on the teacher's desk. "Well, as today's our first day, I'd like you all too do a small project and submit it tomorrow, just to see how good you are at photography." Everybody shouted in protest. Homework – no – a _project_ on the first day of school. How wonderful.

Narumi just laughed and continued. "Don't worry, it's really small, and you'll be doing it with a partner, so it should be easy." I relaxed. He was right. Doing a project with a partner was definitely easier than doing it on your own – especially if your partner was a straight 'A' student. Like Hotaru. I turned in my seat to ask her, but what Narumi said next stopped me. "I'll be choosing your partners, so you don't have to worry."

"Worry?" I whispered sardonically. "Why would there be a need to worry? I mean, the worst that could happen is being paired with an arrogant toe rag," I said, indicating Natsume and his posse. Ana stared at me, incredulous as to why I wouldn't want to be paired with one of the hottest guys in school, while Nonoko just giggled.

"Oh, Mikan, why don't we start with you?" asked Narumi, suddenly at my side. "Lets see, lets see…" he muttered, looking around the class. "Oh, I know," he said, crossing the rows of benches to stop in front of Ruka. "Ruka can be your partner."

I smiled uncertainly. Even though Ruka was definitely nicer than Natsume, I didn't think that Hotaru would be happy with me being her boyfriend's partner. She wasn't. Hotaru looked like she was ready to crush me, until a sudden gleam lit her eyes. She smirked, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she though up some evil plan.

"And Hotaru can be paired with… Natsume." I fought back my snickers. I mean, I really couldn't see Hotaru working with Natsume, any more than I could see pigs fly.

Narumi continued making pairs, until everybody in the class was either jumping in joy, or groaning in dispair. "Ok, so the project is a collage. You – and your partner – have to take pictures of things that interest you both. Then, you can arrange them in such a way that they bring out the artistic…" the rest was all crap. Mostly it was about how a good photographer should be able to make the pictures come alive, and all that. "So don't forget to bring your projects in tomorrow," called Narumi as everybody hurried out of the class.

The moment I was out, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Mikan, I need to talk to you." I relaxed, finding out that it was just Hotaru. But then my heart just beat faster. What if she was mad that I was partnered with her boyfriend? What if she set one of her crazy inventions on me?

"What?" I asked, trying to be polite. I mean, she had perfect rights to be mad at (or maybe even jealous of) me. But when I turned around, instead of the anger I expected to find, Hotaru's eyes had the same gleam that I saw in class. _Uh oh_.

"I think we should switch partners." Talk about being straightforward.

"Well, ummm…I don't think I can do that." I'm not dumb. I remembered who her partner was, and all the sympathy suddenly vanished. No way in my life was I going to work with Natsume Hyuuga. "And even if I can," I added, trying not to sound egoistic, "I won't."

Hotaru smirked. (Wow, all she needed were horns and a tail, and she would look like devil. That is, if she wasn't one already.) "Oh, don't worry, you _will_. And consider this the payment for driving you to central town."

"Never."

* * *

Yeah, well, here I am, running around looking for Hyuuga. Damn that Hotaru. I can't believe that she would actually blackmail _me_. And I thought that I was her friend. Besides, how the hell did she get into my baby pictures? I thought that I had them locked up!

I weaved through the thinning crowd that was headed outside, cursing Hotaru and her damned photos in my mind. "Hey, Hyuuga," I called, catching my breath. "Hotaru asked me to switch partners with her," I said, so fast that it came out as one word.

Natsume turned around, fixing his eyes on mine. "Slow down, idiot. I have no clue what you said."

I groaned. Like it wasn't hard enough to say it once without feeling disgusted, I had to say it twice. "Hotaru asked me to switch partners with her," I said, really slowly, as though I was talking to a toddler.

He smirked. "What?" He leaned in, cupping his hand around his ear. "I can't hear you."

"Natsume, I know perfectly well that you can hear me, so don't act stupid. Thanks to Hotaru, now I'm stuck with you, so we might as well get this project over with."

"_Right_, are you sure that you're not the one who begged Imai to switch with you?"

I scowled. This guy was completely impossible. "Yes, I'm sure," I said, counting from one to ten in my head. "Now, are we going or not?" I tapped my foot on the pavement, crossing my arms over my chest.

Natsume eyed me, and then said, "Fine. You might want to drop by your dorm to change out of your uniform. Then we can go take pictures." Without pausing to hear my response, he tugged my arm, pulling me to the parking lot.

I saw the sleek sports car, and at once, I felt weird, almost as if I was…I was…_happy_ to be doing something with Natsume. I pushed the thought back. It was probably just a reaction to something in today's lunch. How stupid.

I climbed in, and we sped through the roads, most of which were jam-packed with students heading back to their rooms. Eventually, (after a near death experience for a little boy under the tires of Natsume's sports car) Natsume parked in front of the dorm, and got out. I followed him, and slammed the door.

"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked, wondering whether or not I should ask my mom to send my car over. I didn't want to have to be driven around by someone every time I had to go somewhere.

"Central Town, of course," he said, looking at me in surprise. (surprise as in I-can't-believe-that-you-are-so-dumb kind of surprise.) "There'll be lots of things to take pictures of there. Now go and change. I don't want to spend any more time with you than I have to."

"Same here," I muttered, shaking my head. I definitely must have done something horrible in my past life to be stuck with a moron like Natsume. In my frustration, I didn't notice a small rock that was sitting there on the sidewalk, and the next thing I knew – _**Crash**_. I was kneeling down on the hard gravel, my hands having stopped my fall. They were pretty badly scraped, but luckily, they weren't bleeding.

"Hey, you need a hand… _polka dots_??"

_Polka Dots?_ I thought. And then it dawned on me. Natsume had seen my – had seen my –

"NATSUME YOU PERVERT!!"

* * *

"Hey polka dots, hand me the camera."

I whirled around, and hissed, "I told you not to call me that."

Natsume just smirked, looking unaffected. "Well, it's not my fault that you're so clumsy when you wear a skirt."

"It's not my fault that you feel the urge to peek," I protested, managing (with great difficulty) not to shout in front of everyone.

"It's not my fault that you showed it to me."

I scowled. "Pervert." I didn't say any more, due to the audience that was already gathered around us.

"Idiot."

I rolled my eyes, and continued clicking pictures of everything – the lamppost, a balloon, even a piece of gum stuck to the road. (Gross, I know) Narumi had asked us to take pictures of things that we found interesting – the only problem was, Natusme didn't (or at least claimed not to) find anything interesting, and the things that interested me were things like soccer, and other sports, and I knew that if I went to the field, I would ditch Natsume and the camera, and make a run for it.

"Why do you need the camera for, anyway?" I asked, distracted by a pigeon that was circling the gum, trying to peck it off with its beak.

"To take pictures, obviously."

I didn't bother turning around. If I did, then I knew that I would end up fighting with him again, and I didn't want to waste my precious time. Instead, I zoomed in on the pigeon, trying to get the best shot. "Well, duh. I wanted to know what you're going to take pictures of."

"Anything but a piece of gum stuck to the road. That's gross, not artistic."

I lowered the camera and glared at him suspiciously. "Oh yeah? And what do _you_ know about being artistic?"

"Why don't you give me the camera and I'll show you?" he asked, a slight smirk playing around his lips.

"Do I hear a challenge?" I asked, eager.

"Sure, I guess you can think of it that way. If I get the best pictures, you'll do whatever I want you to do for…two weeks. And if you get the better pictures, then I'll do whatever you want me to do."

I grinned, handing the camera to him. "Oh, it's _on_."

* * *

The car screeched to a halt, and I launched myself out the door. I started tapping my foot impatiently, waiting for Natsume to get out of the car. We had both taken pictures, and then gotten them developed at a store in Central Town. I was now clutching two envelopes in my hand, one full of Natsume's pictures, and one full of mine. Since I hadn't seen his pictures before the shop owner had put them inside, I had no clue which photos would be better. I knew that I wasn't any good at taking pictures, but I was hoping that Natsume would be even worse. If he wasn't… well, lets just say that I could wave my freedom good-bye for the next two weeks.

"Lets go," said Natsume, twirling his keys around on his finger.

We had decided that we should go to Natsume's room to work on the collage, and I wasn't looking forward to seeing how a teenage guy's room would look like. Especially one who was bigheaded as Natsume was. I ran to catch up with him, wishing I had gotten nose plugs with me. (Who knows, his room could've smelled like gym socks, like they do in books.)

We headed up the stairs, until we reached the last landing. There were only four doors on the whole floor, when there should've been at least ten. Natsume walked up to the third door, the one that was the farthest away from the stairs. He fitted a key into the slot, and pushed the door open. Surprisingly, a slightly sweet smell drifted out from the open door, a smell that reminded me of an air freshener that my maid used to spray in my room back at home.

As I walked through the doorway, I was even more amazed. The room was easily twice the size of my own, and (judging from the fact that there was only one bedroom door) Natsume was the only person staying in it. The living room was very big, and instead of the small loveseats that me and Hotaru had, there was a huge black 'L' shaped sofa (with gray, fluffy looking pillows on it) facing a sleek plasma screen TV. The archway leading to the kitchen showed a glimpse of a high-tech refrigerator and a glossy black countertop. There was a door to the bathroom, but there was probably another attached to Natsume's room. Beside the door to the bedroom, there was a huge floor length window that had a great view of the park where a couple of little children were playing in the fading light. And best of all, it was _neat_.

"You're easy to impress," smirked Natsume, pulling me inside the room and shutting the door.

I fought down my blush. "How come you have such a big room all to yourself?" I asked, ignoring the comment.

"I know the owner of the school. He's a…_family friend_." He plopped down on the sofa, running a hand through his hair. I felt my heartbeat accelerating, and my palms stared to feel sticky. What was wrong with me?! "So, are you going to open those envelopes, or not? I'd love to have you as my slave."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't get so cocky yet, Hyuuga. I have a fair chance too, you know." I strode over to the sofa and sat down on the floor. I laid out the envelopes side by side, and took a deep breath. Ripping the thin paper open, I let the photos slide out. "Oh," I murmured, gazing at Natsume's pictures.

Beautiful would have been an understatement. He had captured the light and movement in such a way that some of the shots of the pigeons looked like they were about to jump out from their pictures and soar into Natsume's room. Even a picture of a tiny brown leaf looked stunning. "Oh," I said again, this time in disgust as I saw my own pictures.

"I have to agree with you," said Natsume. He had slid down from the couch and was now sitting right behind me, his breath warm on my shoulder. I could feel my palms growing sweaty again, and my breaths came quicker, more irregular. "So does that conclude your servitude, or would you like a contract?" he asked, and I could almost see the triumphant smirk that would be on his face right now.

"Fine, you win," I scowled, still facing away from him so that he couldn't see the blush on my face. _Pull it together_ I thought to myself. "Now why don't we get started on the stinkin' collage already?" Curse that Narumi for giving us this stupid project!

"Hold on a sec." I could feel Natsume getting up behind me. I took a deep breath and felt my heart slow down. _That's better._ Natsume sat down next to me this time, setting the glue and chart in his hands. "Here. Since my pictures are obviously better, we can throw _those_ away," he said, indicating the small stack of my useless pictures.

I picked them up, happy to get rid of them. I didn't want to have reminders of how much I sucked at photography. "Where?" I asked, ignoring his snide remark.

Without looking up from his evaluation of the photos, he replied, pointing over his shoulder at the kitchen. "The cupboard under the sink. And don't take too long sniffing the trash."

I rolled my eyes, and walked through the archway and into the kitchen. It was neat and spotless, just like the rest of his dorm. I opened the cupboard, and found a small (and empty) trashcan. I dumped the photos inside, a bit puzzled by the absence of dirt anywhere.

"Hyuuga, do you have some type of cleaning disorder or something?" I asked as I sat down next to him. He was still bent over the pictures, the glue in his hand. I seized one of the pillows on the sofa and whacked him on the head. "Hello? Did you hear me?"

Natsume turned around, a scowl on his face. He got up, grabbing a pillow too. "Two can play at that game," he smirked.

I jumped up, arming myself with another pillow, and throwing it right at his face. He caught it before it hit, and threw it straight back at me. I jumped over the couch, and the pillow smacked into the wall at the other side of the room. As more missiles flew at me, I ducked down, and crawled the rest of the distance to Natsume. I leaped up, expecting to see him there, but instead, I only saw the wall. Where was he?

"You should always be on guard," said a voice from behind me, but before I could turn around and whack him, I felt the pillow thud against my back.

I slowly turned around, and said, "You're tricky, aren't you?" As I threw another pillow at him, I was surprised to see a grin light up his face. Not a smirk, a frown, or a scowl, but a genuine grin. I was rendered speechless. When he was smiling, Natsume certainly did look good. No wonder he had so many fan girls. I mentally kicked myself. What was I thinking? I snapped out of my trance as a pillow hit me. "You're going to pay for that."

And the pillow fight (or should I say pillow war?) continued until we were both covered in feathers. I glanced at the forgotten collage, and said, "You realize that we haven't done anything in the collage yet? And not to mention we're covered in feathers." I ran a hand through my hair and got quite a handful of white fluff.

Natsume laughed, "Who cares?"

I laughed along with him. He was right. Who cares? The only thing that mattered to me right now was that I was having fun, a word that I would never have put in the same sentence as Natsume. Even though it was only a small feeling at the corner of my mind, was I actually beginning to like Natusme?? Impossible, right? Or maybe not…

* * *

**Hey guys. Sorry about the late update, but i was on a vacation to my grandma's place, and they dont have a computer there, so...yeah...**

**I've been thinking about changing the storyline, so that thre's no soccer, or Luna. Sorry for all of you who love seeing (or reading) Luna getting humiliated. Its just that i kinda..._forgot_ the last storyline, so i had to change it. Stupid, i know. **

**Would it be too much if i asked for 50 reviews?? i'm sure u can do it... for me?? At least for the next chapter?! **

**Next Chapter - Invitations :)**


	6. Invitations

Chapter 6 Invitations

* * *

"That's great work from Natusme and Mikan!" clapped Narumi enthusiastically.

I looked at the large piece of paper that I was holding up, then back at Narumi. Was he crazy?? The paper was covered with beautiful pictures all right, but it was also covered with white feathers and dried glue. It looked nothing like the collage that we were supposed to make. Why? Because the pillow fight that me and Natsume had had ended up covering both the collage and us with feathers. Not to mention every surface of Natusme's room.

Natsume snickered, and I couldn't help but laugh as well. "You guys can go back to your seats," said Narumi, looking around for his next victims.

I reached my bench and sat down. "Wow, that dude has some problems. He called _this_ good." I whispered, indicating the mess of glue and feathers.

Natusme, who had sat down beside me, snickered again. "Duh. I bet he's going to give us an A, just because we actually did the project in the first place."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Would he really give us an A?" Even though I wasn't exactly a horrible student, I wouldn't say that I was great, either. B's were normal, and getting an A was something that I would actually be proud about.

"Why, you've never gotten one before?" smirked Natsume.

"I _have _gotten A's before," I said, rolling my eyes. At least that part was true. I got quite a few A's when I was in fifth grade, not to mention first. (Retarded, I know.)

"Yeah right. That's the bell," said Natsume, getting up. He paused next to me, indicating that I should follow him. I sighed, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. It hasn't even been one whole day of my servitude, and already I was regretting ever agreeing to the challenge. Natsume had made me do things from getting him a glass of water, to cleaning his table before he sat down. I was following him like a slave, and most people in the school were looking at me in such a weird way that it was obvious that they thought that something was up between me and Natsume. And the thing is, there was, it just wasn't in _that_ way.

I had to admit that even if I weren't his 'slave', I still would've tried to talk to him. You know, like start a friendly conversation. The thing is, ever since I'd seen Natsume smile like that, it totally changed my opinion of him. He suddenly didn't seem like an arrogant toe rag, – ok, never mind, he still did, sometimes – but like an actual person. Someone who I might be able to consider my friend. _Might_. I was sure that one wrong move was enough to tip the small and capricious relationship we had to a deadly angle. (Okay, I might be exaggerating. It's more like 'one wrong move was enough to tip the small and capricious relationship that _I_ had back to _how it started._')

I ignored the stares that a lot of people were giving us (the girls mostly had jealous looks while the guys simply looked amazed) to walk beside Natsume. I wasn't eager to be the one to start the conversation, and I was trying to make up in my mind whether to ask Natsume to drop me off, or find Hotaru and beg her. I was certainly not in the mood to walk today.

My dilemma was solved as Ana and Nonoko barreled into me, (or should I say us?) and started blushing like crazy. In their arms was a stack of cluttered orange paper, a few of them floating down to the floor.

"Umm, hey Mikan…Natsume," they said in unison, fumbling with the papers. Ana handed one to me and Natsume, smiling uncertainly. "We would really like it if you could come…" she said, (I had a feeling that the last part was meant for Natusme more than me.) and before I could look at the flyer, they were gone.

"What's that, polka dots?" asked Natsume, snatching the flyer from my hands. I looked around to see if anybody heard his last comment, and saw that there were a lot more of the flyers all over the lockers, walls, even the clock.

I walked over to one of them, and narrowed my eyes. The heading on the flyer was in big, bold letters, 'Halloween party! Come one, come all!' and then there were these doodles of vampires, jack-o-lanterns, and bed sheet-ghosts. (totally childish) The date and venue was set on the bottom, in the same bold writing above, only smaller. I saw that whoever was hosting the party (Ana and Nonoko, by the looks of it) was renting the huge clubhouse at the edge of the school campus. And I knew that, as my friends were hosting it, attendance would be compulsory.

"Oh joy. A party," I said sarcastically. It was common sense I didn't enjoy parties one bit. (kinda weird, because with a successful business man – and I am _not_ bragging – as my father, you would think that I would be used to going to parties all the time, but I wasn't. I hated them like _hell_. Most of the time, people got drunk, and started running around, acting like, well, drunks.

"Why? You don't like parties?" said Natsume from close behind me.

I didn't bother turning around. I knew that if I did, my heartbeat would accelerate, and I wouldn't be able to form a coherent sentence. "No, as a matter of fact, I don't."

"It's settled then. You're coming to the party, whether you like it or not."

I twirled around to glare at him. "Just who the hell do you think you are?" I hissed.

"Your master," he said seductively, twirling a strand of my hair in his fingers.

Using all the will power I had, (and ignoring the irritating looks that everybody in the corridor was giving us) I slapped his hand away, walking towards my locker. "Pervert."

Natsume ignored my comment, and walked next to me, saying, "So, I expect to see you at the party."

"About that, your rule only lasts for two weeks, and the party is in–"

"One and a half week."

He thrust a flyer in my face, and I saw that he was right. I groaned. Like being forced to go to parties while I was with my parents wasn't enough, I had to be forced to go to parties even without them. "I get it, I get it," I mumbled, deciding not to argue with him. I was technically his '_slave'_ for two weeks.

"You have to dress up. Any character."

I rolled my eyes. "Duh. Isn't that what you do at all Halloween parties?"

I opened the locker door, and was instantly shocked by the number of papers that spilled out. At first, I thought that it was just left by the old occupant, but then I saw my name written in fancy, red ink on one of the papers. I furrowed my brows, and lifted the piece of paper to eye length. On closer inspection, I saw that a small heart had replaced the dot in the 'i'. I grabbed a few more papers from the ground. All of them had the same thing written on them. "Oh. My. God." Don't get me wrong. I've gotten quite a few 'love' letters, but never so many from one person!! And especially not on my second day of school!!

I gathered up the papers and started to stuff them into my locker, when I realized that the there was something else in it too. It was a beautiful bouquet of red roses, tied together with a white ribbon. As I twisted it around, I noticed a small piece of card pinned to the ribbon. It was in the same elegant handwriting as the papers.

_Miss Mikan, I would be honored if I could meet you at the Sakura tree near the school entrance. There are many things that I have to say which cannot be explained in this measly bit of paper._

_-A heart lost lover_

I stared at the card, not sure whether to laugh my head off, start blushing like crazy, or to simply go to the Sakura tree and pummel the guy to death. Natsume settled that for me.

"Oh, he's going to get it now," Natsume muttered, smacking his fist into the palm of his hand.

"Who's going to get it now?" My voice sounded far away, as though I was listening, not speaking. At least I got the words right.

"That # who sent you those # letters."

I grimaced. I didn't mind it when people cursed, (in fact, I do it all the time ;)) but the way Natsume said it, it was… WOW… "That's ok, I'll go do it myself." I flexed my arm, smirking. Poor guy…NOT.

* * *

"Hello, anyone there?" I called, using a false, honey coated singsong voice that I had been practicing. It always worked on the unaware guy…

Sure enough, I shadow flickered, a twig snapped, and the leaves rustled. _Creepy sound effects. Too bad its daytime. _"Oh, hello Mikan. Didn't think you'd come."

I plastered a smile on my face, and turned to the voice. Even though I wasn't interested I guys, I had to say that this one was a very… unique specimen. His wild, brown hair had streaks of almost every color imaginable – (No, not blue or green, I mean _reasonable _colors) blond, gold, and even a few strands of red and black. He wore it almost down to his shoulders, letting the sun glint off it in a brilliant array of color. His eyes were a warm, summary green, the kind that I'd always wanted when I was little. "Are those natural?" I asked, pointing at his hair.

He grinned. "Yeah. So're my eyes. They change colors, you know."

It didn't seem that he was showing off, it just seemed like he was answering my question. I couldn't help but grin, too. "I haven't seen so much color since I went to the art show," I admitted, waiting to see his response.

"That's what a lot of people tell me…" he laughed, sitting down on a wooden bench, indicating that I should sit too.

"No thanks, I'll stand." No matter how much I liked this dude, I couldn't get over the fact that he had taken so much time (not to mention money) to get a bunch of flowers and paper into my locker.

"Fine then." He grinned wider, getting up. "Where are my manners?" he shook his head, extending his hand out to me. "I'm Hitoshi. It's my pleasure to meet you, Mikan," he said, bowing and tipping an imaginary hat.

I laughed, all my plans of punching this guy in the face forgotten. Maybe, if we sorted out this I-love-you thing, then we could be friends… Of course, he never gave me a chance.

"Mikan, would you like to go out with me for dinner?" he asked, his expression serious, but still smiling.

"Uhh, I can't, I have a…" I looked down, wracking my brains for an answer that wouldn't hurt his feelings. "I have to go shopping…in Central Town," I finished, still staring at the ground. Why couldn't I lie properly when I needed to??

"Oh, that's ok, maybe another time," he said cheerfully. I risked a glance up, and saw that Hitoshi didn't seem put down at all. The one thing I did notice, though, was that the color of his eyes had changed from a summary green, to a light, sea green. Creepy. Cool, but creepy.

"Bye, Hitoshi," I called, slipping out of the small hollow where the Sakura tree was kept, and straight into Natsume. He didn't say anything, but just looked at me with a why-didn't-you-beat-him-up? look clear on his face.

I sighed. "Well, he's just too nice," I started, answering his unspoken question. "If I just tell him that I don't like him, he won't want to be with me anymore. I want to break it to him in a nice way, so that we might still be able to be friends…You know what I mean?"

Natsume just raised his eyebrows, said, "No. I don't know what you mean," and grabbed my arm.

"Hey, where are we going?" I said, struggling against his grip.

He paused, and turned to look back at me. On his face was an expression of indifference, though I could swear that I saw a glint of anger (mixed with something else…something like jealousy?? I wonder why…) in his eyes. "Don't you have shopping to do in Central Town?"

"Shopping…? Natsume, were you eavesdropping?" I accused, narrowing my eyes.

"Answer the question."

"No. I just said that so that I wouldn't hurt his feelings." I admitted, feeling sheepish.

"So you're free?"

I couldn't help but notice the hopefulness in his voice. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Yeah, I'm free. What's it to you?"

He smirked in triumph. "Well, since you're free, I want you to go out with me."

I glared at him in disbelief. "Are we on TV?" I asked, ludicrously looking around for hidden cameras.

"Of course not, idiot. You better tell me your answer quick. But it doesn't really matter if you say no, 'cause you are my slave," he said, joyously skipping around. (Nah, I'm kidding. He just looked really arrogant)

"Then why are you asking me if it doesn't matter?" I asked, exasperated. (and _furious_.)

"Good point," he said, grabbing my arm again.

What the hell had I gotten myself into??

* * *

**how is it?? you might be wondering why They're going on a date so soon, but i decided that the main part of the story isnt getting Mikan and Natsume together, (i mean, it is, but, well...you know what i mean, right??) but something else. Dont worry, it has nothing to do with missions, or people getting killed:) It's probably going to happen within the next few chapters, so look out...**

**Anyways, thanx for the reviews, guys!! if you dont think im too review-obsessed, do you think i could get 75 reviews?? Hehe, im really not review obsessed... Never mind, i think i am...**

**Ciao, i better go write the 7 chapter.**

**Next chapter - First Date. **(totally not original, i know)


	7. First Date

****

Chapter 7 First Date

* * *

_What have I done to deserve this_??? I thought, sitting in the passenger seat of Natsume's sports car. Of course, I knew perfectly well what I had done – I had agreed to have a photography contest with Natsume. Who knew that something so simple could lead to something disastrous???

"Yeah, two reservations," said Natsume into his phone. There was a beep and he said, "I'm getting another call," and hung up, only to put the phone back to his ear again.

"Hey Koko," he said, sounding wary.

I couldn't hear exactly what Koko was saying, but I heard a few muffled words like, " get the popcorn," and "waiting."

"Tell the guys I'm sorry, but I can't come."

There was silence on the other line for a few moments before I heard Koko saying, "…ok. You can come..."

"I don't think I'll be free by nine,"

There was another pause, this one longer.

"Yeah, I know I said that I could come before, but something important came up."

"OH MY GOD!!!! Natsume has a girlfriend, Natsume had a girlfriend," shouted Koko, loud enough that I could hear it. "Who is it?? Is it that Sakura girl?"

"Shut up Koko," he growled, hitting the end call button.

Fuming would have been an understatement to how I felt then. "You had plans, and you cancel them for me?" I asked, my eyebrow twitching.

"Who said I cancelled them for you? I never meant to go in the first place."

"Yeah right. I don't think you're the type of person to lie to your own friends."

"Wait a sec," he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Are you telling me that you _want_ me to cancel my plans _for you_??"

I rolled my eyes in disgust. "In your dreams."

Natsume finally stopped the car, pocketing the keys and his phone as he got out. I followed him reluctantly, wondering if I could make an escape.

I had no clue where we were. I squinted, trying to see through the blinding flash of lights. As my eyes slowly adjusted, I noticed the huge outline of a Ferris wheel and the spinning rides that were scattered around it. People bustled about, while a few (girls) stopped to point at Natsume, whispering and giggling with their friends. I could swear I heard the word 'hot' passed around at least a few times.

"They are so annoying," muttered Natsume, walking past with his hand in his pocket. I looked from Natsume, to the fan girls, and then back again, smirking. It was just so funny seeing the annoyed look on his face.

"I almost feel sorry for you," I snickered, catching up with him. "Almost, but not quite."

Natsume grunted, walking towards the massive metal frame of a roller coaster. The tracks twisted and turned until they were out of sight, going almost around the whole carnival before it looped back on itself. There were at least fifty people waiting in a line, almost all sweating and looking anxious. Near the back of the line, a large cardboard sign was painted black with red letters on it, made to look like dripping blood. A small booth was next to it, the woman in it handing out tickets. Another sign was stuck onto the front of the booth, painted in red, but saying the same as its counterpart. 'Killer'

I gulped. "_Killer_??? Why do we have to go on the worst ride in the whole carnival??" I asked, my palms sweaty.

"Why, are you scared???? If you want, we can go on one of the _baby_ rides," he sneered, pointing to the small train tracks where little kids were running around, shouting "Choo-choo!!!" at the top of their lungs.

"I am _not_ afraid," I growled. _Yeah, more like terrified._ I walked to the ticket booth, calling over my shoulder, "Are you coming, or not?"

Natsume was suddenly at my side, asking for two tickets. The lady looked up, and instantly her eyes grew wide. She started fumbling around with the roll of tickets, her eyes on Natsume the whole time. I stared at her, and then at Natsume. Was he really that good-looking?? Unfortunately, he was. The lady handed us the tickets, stuttering something like "have a good time."

Natsume's crazy fans didn't leave us alone either. The moment we got into line, gasps erupted among the males and females standing in front of us. (The guys were only gasping because they couldn't imagine Natsume going anywhere, especially with a girl. Not because they were gay. No scratch that. For all I knew, they might have been gay.) The girls crowded around us, leaving their boyfriends looking dumbfounded.

"Natsume, you can come on the ride with me!"

"Why would he want to go with you? He obviously wants to go with me!"

"Natsume, don't listen to them! I'm the one you want!!!"

The squealing, screeching and wailing continued, and before long, most of the girls were involved in a fight. They were so busy scratching and screaming that they didn't even notice Natsume take my arm and lead me to the front of the line and onto the black, menacing coaster.

I gulped again as the metal bars slid over my head to stop before my chest. "It's ok to be scared," said Natsume mockingly.

"Yeah right. _Me?? Scared??_" I said, wiping my hands on my jeans and trying in vain to calm down my racing heart. _More like terrified_.

Natsume snorted, but I couldn't hear it. All I heard was the squeal of the wheels on the track as the coaster slowly made its way to a long, dark tunnel.

"Oh my god!!! That was _awesome_!!!!" I screamed, waving my hands in the air.

Natsume grinned. "Didn't think you would make it through the whole ride without crying or something like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, punching him lightly in the arm.

He didn't seem affected, but instead just grinned wider. "Exactly what I said."

I rolled my eyes. It was true that I was frightened half to death most of the ride, but I wasn't going to tell _him_ that. Frankly, I was just happy that I had enough strength to resist holding on to his arm and squeezing my eyes shut. Wait, was that the point of taking me on this death ride?? Nah…even Natsume wouldn't sink so low…would he???

As we walked down from the platform and into a throng of people, I heard people screaming all over. "Oh. My. God…**Its Natsume Hyuuga!!!" **I looked around, and instantly dodged away from the throng of girls that were desperately clawing to Natsume.

I emerged next to a cotton candy stall, covered in scratches and my hair tousled. Then an idea struck me. What if I managed to sneak away??? If Natusme couldn't find me, then he couldn't control me, right? But first, I thought, I _had_ to get some cotton candy.

"One, please," I said to the stall owner. I rummaged in my bag for change and was about to hand it to him, when an arm darted past mine and plopped a dollar on the counter.

I looked up, and saw that the hand belonged to Natsume. "Hehe," I giggled nervously. "I was just about to come look for you…" I muttered, snatching the cotton candy from his hand.

He didn't seem affected, except for the look of indifference as he dragged me from the cotton candy stall. "You know, you're still my slave."

"You just _had_ to remind me," I muttered gloomily.

"Where are we this time?" I asked, turning around. We were in some sort of alley that was lined by rusted metal sheets on one side and an old, dilapidated brick wall on the other. The moonlight shone through the narrow gap above me, illuminating the scene in a creepy way. Natsume didn't reply, walking forwards like I hadn't even talked. He stopped after about a few yards, taping on a wooden door set into the brick. Above it was a neon sign that said 'Welcome to Hell'.

The door creaked open slightly, the light from inside pouring out into the alley. "Who art thou?" asked a raspy voice.

Natsume just rolled his eyes. "Just let us in Ryuu. You're only making a fool of yourself."

The door opened wide, and a guy stepped out. He wasn't much to look at. He was tall but gangly, with bronze hair and a pale, pasty face, the kind you get when you sit inside too long. All he needed was glasses, and he might as well have 'NERD' stamped on his forehead. "Natsume!! Is that you're girlfriend?" he asked, not using the raspy voice anymore.

"Just shut the he –"

"None of your business," interrupted Natsume, dragging me inside. I gasped in awe and instantly forgot about my plans to drown Ryuu in a toilet.

Unlike its outside appearance, the room was pretty big, but that wasn't what was so amazing about it. It was the fact that it was simply filled every type of gaming system imaginable. Everything from the latest game on the Wii to an old, rusty pinball machine was there, including an unavoidable assortment of nerds. But not all of the people there were nerds. In fact, there were quite a few guys (and girls) who looked like they belonged more kicking a ball then playing with videogames. The nerds gave them space, walking around them like there was an invisible barrier preventing them from walking within a three-foot radius of the 'cool' kids.

As I watched, a big, burly guy wearing a jersey that plainly revealed his muscles picked up a smaller dude in front of him by the collar. Lifting him up until he was eye length, the guy raised his fist as if to punch him. I growled. I couldn't stand this anymore. Cracking my knuckles, I approached the burly guy, coughing to get his attention. He looked down at me, the small guy in his arms looking at me in relief and gratitude.

"What are you doing?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and tapping my foot in resentment.

"Oh look, your little girlfriend's come to help," he sneered.

"She's not his girlfriend. And I suggest you put him down, or else you're going to get it from me," said a voice from behind me.

The big guy looked over my shoulder, and his smirk faltered, becoming something more like alarm. "N-N-Natsume," he stuttered, releasing his captive, who fell to the ground on his butt.

I lowered my hand to help him up, but instead of taking it, he just stared at me in awe. I just rolled my eyes and grabbed him up from the floor to set him on his feet. "Stop staring at me like a goldfish," I said, irritated. He instantly shut his mouth, turned around, and started to whistle tunelessly. What a weird dude.

As I turned around to face Natsume, I saw that almost everyone in the whole place was silently staring at us. Actually, only the guys were silent. The girls were squealing into their phones, saying, "Yes, _The_ Natsume Hyuuga," over and over again.

"I think we should leave before we get stampeded," I whispered to a wide-eyed Natsume.

He turned to look at me. "Yeah, we should go."

We both hightailed it out of there, managing to make it back to Natsume's car before we got run over by girls who were carrying Sharpies around and trying to get Natsume to sign on their body parts. (Who the hell carries sharpies around??)

I snickered, climbing in the car. "What's so funny?" asked Natsume, looking aggravated. (I would be too, if freaks chased me around every time I went out with my girlfri – wait…I am _not _Natsume's girlfriend.)

"Nothing," I replied, mentally kicking myself for the slip-up, even if I hadn't said it out loud. "It's just so funny that you're always being chased like that. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

He accelerated, the car tires squealing at the sudden burst of speed. "Are you kidding me? I got tired of it the moment it started!!" he grumbled, clutching the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles became white.

"I give up!" groaned Natsume, slamming his foot down on the brake.

"Who knew so many people could be at the park?" I agreed, though not with as much annoyance as Natsume. "Or the movies, or a restaurant or a –"

"I get it," he growled, opening the door and getting out. I followed him, getting my dorm keys out.

We had spent who-knows-how-long going around Central Town, trying to find a place that wasn't flooded with fan-girls. Of course, I got happier every minute we wasted. More fan girls meant less Natsume, something I was totally fine with.

"I hate to admit it, but I had fun," I smiled. It wasn't completely a lie. I had tons of fun laughing at the various expressions Natsume made when he was mad.

He snorted. "Well, who wouldn't have fun going on a date with me?" he asked, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I whirled around to face him. "I said I had fun. I never said this was a date."

His expression turned disbelieving. He walked towards me, and stopped when we were barely half a foot away. "Don't lie to yourself," he said. I blinked, trying to remember what I was supposed to say. It was just so…_intoxicating _with him so close…Close enough that I could just tilt my head up and…I blinked again, this time with more fervor. I couldn't let my thoughts stray. "I know that you know that this was a date."

"Well I know that you know that this wasn't a date," I said with a little confusion.

"I know that you know that I know that this was a date." He smirked, watching my expression turn into confusion.

"I know…that you know… Oh, who cares!" I groaned. I couldn't even understand what he was saying, let alone able to retaliate. "Besides, why would I know something that isn't true?"

"Ughh," he groaned. "How do I say this?"

"Say what?" I asked, confused.

"I'm trying to figure out how to get through that thick head of yours."

Before I could reply though, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then closed the rest of the distance between us without any apparent hesitation. My hands got sticky, and I could swear that everybody within a mile radius could hear my heart beating. His hand lifted my chin up slightly, bringing it even closer. Although many guys had tried to kiss me before, they had all gone away with need for serious medication. I had never felt this way with any other guy. Or for that matter, any other person.

He halted when we were an inch apart, a calculating look on his face. Suddenly, he smirked, and turned my head slightly to the side, so that the kiss landed on my cheek. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer. (if that was even possible)

"Remember when I said that I always get who I want?" He didn't wait for my answer, and it was a good thing, too. I wouldn't have been able to talk even if my life depended on it. "What if its you?"

I froze. I didn't how I did it, but I managed to say, "Haha," sarcastically before I wrenched myself from grasp, hurtling through the dorm and into my room. The moment I closed the door, I slid down to the floor in frustration, my head in my hands.

Even though it wasn't even a real kiss, I was still confused. (Well, it _was _the first time anyone but my parents had kissed me. And even then, I had only allowed them with great reluctance.) Why hadn't I been able to slap him like I had every other time some guy tried to kiss me?? Was it because this time, it wasn't just someone _trying_ to kiss me, or was it because the person who had kissed me had been Natsume? I refused to believe it. Why would I freeze up like that? It was probably just because I had never been close with a guy (someone I don't consider a friend) before, that's all.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Hotaru's worried face. I knew that she would want to know what was happening. Too bad I didn't know myself.

* * *

**I'd like to thank my friend who helped rewrite this chapter, but who didnt make an account yet (GRRRR)  
And umm....hehe.....reviews??? anyone???**


	8. Rumors

**Chapter 8 Rumors **

* * *

"OH NO!!!" I screamed. Well, you would too, if you realized that you were late (No, make that really late) to school. Not to mention that because Hotaru had so cruelly left without even bothering to wake me up, (Instead, she had stuck a sticky note on my forehead telling me that I was late…like I didn't know that myself) I now had no mode of transport.

"Damn that friggin alarm clock!" I grumbled, fumbling with my school uniform while trying to brush my teeth at the same time. It wasn't my fault that the stupid alarm clock broke when I hit the snooze button…or maybe it was. I hopped out of the bathroom, trying to put on my socks and straighten my tie. Shoveling cereal in my mouth, I focused on more important matters such as _– how the hell to get to school. _I groaned when I realized that I would have to walk. And my shoes were new, too. I was probably going to have blisters the next day.

Walking down the sidewalk, I looked up at the sound of a car. "_Natsume_???" I asked incredulously.

He was there all right, sitting in his black sports car with his raven hair almost carefully tousled and a mask of casual indifference on his face as though he was used to picking up girls from the side of the road. Upon hearing my voice, he turned his head, his expression not changing. "Are you going to get in, or not?" he asked, his voice tinged with impatience.

"Let me think," I said, sarcastically, putting a finger on my chin. "Uh, **NO**." I hated to admit it, but I was more than pissed of at that – shudder – kiss last night. At least that would explain the reason why I hadn't been able to sleep all night, and why I had taken out all my anger on my alarm clock. (Maybe I should've saved some of that anger for Natsume)

"Suit yourself. But trust me, you'll want to get in the car soon enough." He followed right beside me, probably going at about five miles per hour.

I tired to hide my discomfort at walking with my new boots, but could tell that I wasn't successful by Natsume's snort. We were barely out of sight of the dorm, when I felt a small drop of water fall on my cheek. I looked up, and sure enough, I saw the sky darkened with clouds. I took a deep breath, and pushed away all my uneasiness to the back of my mind. Right now, I needed to get to school, without getting drenched. (Besides, I was definitely _not_ going to get my new shoes wet…even if they _were_ boots.)

As I slammed the door shut, I couldn't help but notice the smug look on his face. "Knew you wouldn't be able to resist me for long," he said, turning on the wipers and taking off down the road.

I scowled, a vein popping. How dense could a guy get? "You are _so_–"

"Sexy and irresistibly seductive?" he cut in, smirking.

"_NO_," I said with refrained annoyance, slapping his arm and relying on the dark October morning to hide my blush. "I was _about_ to say arrogant and enormously big-headed."

"Look who's talking," he snorted.

I groaned, rolling my eyes. Frankly, I didn't want reminders of last night. "Thank God we're finally here," I said, looking out through the rain at the school building. As Natsume parked in the parking lot, I realized a problem. "Uh, Natsume? How are we going to get inside?"

He turned his head to look at me with a questioning glare. "By walking there?" he said sardonically. "Don't tell me you're too lazy to walk a few yards."

"I meant how are we going to get through the rain? I don't want my books to get wet." _Or my boots_, I thought inwardly. Not that I was going to tell him that, of course.

He grunted, getting out of the car and pulling something short out from the trunk. He emerged beside me after a few seconds, and I saw that the thing he was holding was an umbrella. "Is this good enough for you _princess_???"

I glared at him. "I _told _you, I don't care about getting wet, I just don't want my books to get ruined," I said, trying to defend myself. "And besides, where's mine?"

"There's only one," he smirked.

I groaned, carefully avoiding the large puddles in the shallow hollows of the asphalt.

Normally, I would've enjoyed walking in the rain. It was just so peaceful without the useless babble of people, the only sound being the rhythmic plops of large droplets. I'd always welcomed the rain, just as I welcomed the rainbow that accompanies it.

But with Natsume beside me…well that's _completely _different. No matter how much I tried, my eyes would just stray to him, due to some invisible force. I shook my head in disgust, turning my gaze forcefully to the ground. Just as I was about to stick my hand out, I started to feel uneasy, as though I was being watched. I glanced at Natsume, but he was busy staring out into the rain, a strange calmness possessing his body. So who, I asked myself, was watching us??

The answer was right in front of me. The windows that faced the parking lot were completely covered with faces, some that I recognized, some that I didn't, and all that were frozen in shock.

I looked over myself, feeling self-conscious. What were they staring at?? I mean, my uniform was a bit messy, but not _that_ bad…right? I smoothened down my skirt, straightened my tie, and made sure that my blazer was completely free of creases. But the stares continued. What the hell were they looking at?

As we reached the front door, Natsume folded the umbrella, shaking it loose of any water, and stuffed it into his bag. We had arrived just five minutes after the bell had rung, and if we hurried, we could make it to class before anybody noticed us. (For once, the fact that Narumi almost always came late was working on our side)

I opened the door to the classroom and was instantly met by stares, just like the ones outside. The only sound came from my shoes as I walked I walked in hesitantly, trying not to notice the holes that people (strangely, most were girls) were burning into me. Even Koko, Yuu and Ruka were staring at me in confusion. Seriously, it was like the first day of school all over again…only worse.

As Narumi hadn't showed up yet, (no surprise there) I dropped my bag in my seat, and hurried over to Hotaru's desk. As I crossed the room, I noticed that everybody was actually in their seats, which never happened unless a teacher was in the class. (Which there wasn't. That is, unless if he was hiding under someone's desk.)

"Hotaru, why is everyone staring?" I whispered, wary of the silence in the room.

"You still don't get it?" she asked, her expression as dull as ever but her eyes gleaming with excitement, something I knew to be a bad sign.

"Mikan, you walked under an umbrella!" whispered Nonoko frantically, looking awed.

"With _Natsume_!!!" chimed in Ana, looking just as impressed as her friend.

"So…your point is??" I inquired, confused.

"Haven't you ever seen romance movies?" asked Hotaru, looking through the pictures on a camera. Finally, she found the one she was looking for and handed it to me. It was a picture of Natsume and me under the umbrella, both of us looking out in the rain. I had to say that we were pretty close, due to the umbrella being so small.

"Yeah, almost all of the old ones have couples kissing under an umbrella," said Ana, going into a dreamy state.

I scowled. "Unless you guys haven't noticed, Natsume and I are hardly what you call a couple. Arch enemies is more like it." I turned to glare at Natsume, who was to busy talking to Ruka and Koko to pay any attention to anyone else. (Like he ever does)

Nonoko sighed, looking exasperated. "Mikan, don't you think you're overdoing it? I mean, if Natsume actually offered to pick you up and then was willing to walk under an umbrella with you, it must mean something."

"You're right. He has been acting a little weird lately. I wonder if he's going to plan something evil. I better be on my guard." I paused, browsing through the pictures on Hotaru's camera. Surprisingly, (or should I say not surprising? I mean, knowing Hotaru, those pictures were probably meant for blackmail) none of them had her in it. They were all really embarrassing pictures of people that I was sure were in the school. As I was about to hand the camera back to her, I noticed a picture. It was me and Natsume coming out of 'The Killer'. But it wasn't this picture that surprised me.

It was the one that had him kissing my cheek.

"Hotaru," I growled, making sure that nobody in the vicinity could see the pictures. "How did you get these?"

Hotaru merely looked at me, shrugged, and said, "Sources."

"OH MY GOD, MIKAN!" squealed Ana and Nonoko. I gulped. By their tones, I could tell that they had seen the picture.

"Hotaru, I hate you," I scowled, dropping the camera in her lap and reluctantly subjecting myself to Ana and Nonoko's frantically whispered inquiries.

* * *

"No, for the last time, it is _not_ true!" I stated, growing more annoyed with every passing moment. I was crowded by girls, all of them trying to find out whether or not me and Natsume were a couple. I looked longingly at my slice of pizza, completely coated with cheese. Thanks to the girls' babbling, (fan girls, not Nonoko and Ana, even though they were talking quite a lot too.) I hadn't been able to take one bit of my pizza, and lunch time was almost over.

"But, Mikan, we saw you guys walking to the school hand in hand!"

That did it. "Look, guys, please don't go listening to all those idiotic rumors. They're not true. In fact, I didn't even touch Natsume today."

"So that means that you touched him on other days?" they gasped in unison.

"God, save me!" I groaned, slapping my forehead. "Hey, if you want to know if it's true, I have a great idea. Why don't you ask Natsume himself?"

"Did I hear my name?" asked a familiar voice.

While Nonoko and Ana gasped, I groaned, hitting my head on the table. "Why can't I just eat my pizza in peace?" As I was about to hit my head for the ninth time, I felt a sharp tug on my hair. I straightened up and slapped away the tight hold on my ponytail, which was making it impossible for me to move my head. I twisted around in my seat, and looked up into a pair of crimson eyes. "What do you want, Natsume?"

"I need to give you something," he said in a tone that suggested we were taking about the weather.

I, on the other hand, was completely petrified. What did he mean, 'something'? I didn't like the sound of it, not one bit. And I _especially_ didn't like the stares I was receiving. If Natsume tried to give me 'something', than there would be at least a hundred pairs of eyes ready to start gossiping. (Not to mention that Hotaru was probably waiting to take a picture with that stupid camera of hers)

"Why are there so many people here? Lets get out of this place." I looked longingly back at my pizza as he dragged me along with him and out the doors.

"So?" I asked, once we were out of sight of the cafeteria.

"I was walking by, and the office told me to give this to you." He pulled out a thick white envelope from his pocket.

I took the envelope from his hands and looked at the address. "Hey, this is from my mom!" I exclaimed, looking suspiciously at Natsume. "You didn't read it did you?"

He shrugged. "I just got it a few minutes ago. I didn't have time to read it."

I rolled my eyes, and turned my attention to the envelope. I slipped my nail underneath and dragged it through the top flap. I pulled out the paper in it and started reading.

**Dear Mikan,**

**I would like you to know that I have contacted the principal and the rest of the school authorities, and they all have agreed to let me send your car over. It will arrive in approximately one week, just in time for Halloween. But the principal advised that you wouldn't show it off, as many other students will want to get their own cars, and that will crowd the whole campus. **

**We love you,**

**Mom and Dad**

"Show off, yeah right," I scoffed, folding both the envelope and letter and putting them in my pocket.

"So you're finally getting a car, eh polka dots?"

I turned to glare at Natsume, but was surprised to find that he looked a little irritated. "Yup, I won't need _you _to drive me around anymore."

"You probably will. Knowing you, it's probably an old piece of junk that'll fall apart in a week. Then you're going to be car-less again."

"Actually, I have an Audi A4 cabriolet, and I for one, do _not_ think it's a piece of junk."

I noticed with smug satisfaction how his expression changed to one of surprise. "Really? For an idiot, I have to say, you have good choice."

As I opened my mouth to retort, I realized something. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"That you're an idiot." He started walking away, probably heading to his next class.

"No, before that. You actually complemented me! Are you sure you're all right? Maybe you have a fever," I said sarcastically.

Natsume just grunted, saying over his shoulder, "Don't forget. You're coming to that Halloween party. You should probably try to get something besides the rags that you usually wear."

I shook my head, smiling. He was back to his arrogant self again. At least it was nice while it lasted. I turned around to go back to the cafeteria and was instantly met by curious faces. It seemed that everybody from the cafeteria was there, staring with their mouths almost on the floor.

One girl raised her arm, pointing from me to the place where Natsume had left. "But you…and he…and that…" she stammered, looking astonished at the letter tucked underneath my arm. "OH NO!!! Natsume is crossing over to the dark side!" she wailed, covering her face with her hands to stop the flow of tears just like many other girls were doing.

"Mikan, we have to go!" came Nonoko's voice. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling my hand, dragging me away from the crowded hallway. I started to fight back, but stopped when I realized it was Ana.

"Why were all of them there?" I asked, keeping up easily with Ana and Nonoko's small strides.

"They saw you and Natsume leaving, and, well, you know how rumors spread, right?" asked Nonoko apologetically.

"So they thought that they might see something going on with me and Natsume." I said blandly.

"Wait, don't tell me that there _is_ something going on between you two?" asked Ana, looking hopeful.

"For the last time, _no_. Besides, wouldn't I tell you if it were true?" I asked. By Ana and Nonoko's expressions, I could tell that they didn't believe me. "Oh, _come on_ guys. I _really_ don't like him!"

They both sighed, shaking their heads in resignation. "There's no point anyway," grumbled Nonoko.

"Yeah, with all the rumors, you won't have to admit anything. The way they're spreading, everybody in the whole school will know about you both by tomorrow."

"Not to mention that that envelope looks unmistakably like a love letter."

I stopped in my tracks to stare at Ana. "No," I mouthed. "No, you've got to be kidding me."

"Nope, we're not."

"But this isn't a love letter!" I shouted in protest, shoving the envelope in their faces.

"Mikan, we know that," said Ana calmly. Then she pointed back to the hallway. "But they don't."

I turned around in silence to pound my head on the wall. "My life is _ruined_!"

* * *

"OH. MY. GOD." I ran to the sofa and turned up the volume on the TV. "You have _got _to be kidding me."

"And now for the latest gossip, we have just found out that our school's famous Natsume Hyuuga has finally found his dream girl," announced a bouncy girl with black hair and crimson eyes that strangely reminded me of..._him_. A few pictures filled the screen, most of Natsume and me yesterday, while a few of us walking in the rain. "They were seen yesterday on a date to Central Town's theme park, and walking under an umbrella together today." At least they don't have the _other_ one, I thought with relief.

And you won't believe _this_, folks, but here it is." The girl's face zoomed out, replaced by my worst dread – a close up picture of him kissing me. "And that's all for today!"

"No…no, you have got to be kidding me…**NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!**" And for the third time that day, I started banging my head on the wall. "Why me??? How will I ever go to school…no, how will I ever go outside??" I wailed, punching a sofa cushion.

"Mikan, why are you punching the sofa? It's bad enough that you have to sit on it," came Hotaru's irritated voice from her bedroom's doorway.

"Because, _someone_ decided to show everyone some pictures," I said bitterly. "So what did they give you for it?" I asked, venom dripping from my voice.

"What do you mean?" asked Hotaru, sitting down next to me on the couch.

"I _mean_ the fact that..._that_ picture came on the news today, and I'm asking you how much they gave you for it." If it was anyone else, I would've pummeled them, but I knew that it would be a bad move with Hotaru. Maybe I could ask Ruka to get it from her…she couldn't refuse her boyfriend…could she?

"Actually, I didn't give anyone any pictures. I was hoping that you guys would start going out before I sold them." Her tone was slow and deliberate, as though she was talking to a toddler.

"First of all," I said, my eyebrow twitching, "you can hold your breath, because we will _never_ go out. And second of all, why should I believe you? You'd do anything for money." I was sure that my voice would scare a lot of people away, the way that it was shaking with anger. But Hotaru didn't budge, her expression as blank as ever.

"Do you doubt me?" she asked, pulling out a menacing looking black weapon from her pocket. Stenciled on the side were the words _Baka Gun- copyright of Hotaru Imai_.

The word gun was enough to make me back off, not to mention that if it was made by Hotaru, it could probably pack quite a punch. "No, no," I said, shaking my hands and stepping away from her. "I'm just saying that if _you_ didn't, then _who_ did?"

"Find out yourself," she replied stoically, going into the kitchen and emerging with a can of crab roe.

"Hey, where did you get that?" I asked pointing at the can that I was sure had never been in our kitchen before. I would've known when I had completely scraped it clean (of food) a few days back.

"You're straying of topic," she stated, suddenly becoming very interested in the food in her hands.

"Right, so does that mean that you know who did it?" I said, a small bead of hope evident in my voice.

"No."

"Oh Lord!!" I wailed. "Today is _really_ not my lucky day."

"You can say that again."

"Today is _really _not my lucky day!"

"You idiot. I didn't mean it literally."

* * *

**Would a sorry help for the late update?? i was busy with the 7 chapter (in case u guys didnt notice, i rewrote it) and...so...yeah...**

**anyways, id like to thank Alexxis t swan and Videhi for thier help...**

**and i promise that i'll update sooner....for a price. dont worry, its nothing, just a few reviews!! **

**by the way, i'll dedicate the next chapter to the 100 reviewer, so keep em comin!**


	9. Party

**Just like i promised, i'd like to dedicate this chapter to Lovely, who was too lazy to log on and send a review...**

Chapter 9 Party

* * *

I really don't know how much longer I can avoid him. I mean, he's _everywhere_! Even when he isn't there, there's always some idiotic girl talking about him. Like when I walked into the ladies' room this morning, there were these two girls putting on lip-gloss, arguing over who he would dance with at the Halloween party.

Who's 'him' you ask? Natsume, obviously.

I've been trying to stay away from him, but of course, it just doesn't help that I'm his slave. And it definitely doesn't help that almost everyone (no, make that everyone) was well aware of the fact that Natsume had kissed me.

The rumors that were flying around were outrageous as well. There was one that I was a witch and had made a secret love potion, and another one that I was an evil siren who would lure Natsume to his destruction. It was _so_ obvious that they watched too much TV. I mean, seriously, a _siren_?? And besides, aren't they only supposed to live in the sea?

I could swear that I as on the hit list of at least a hundred girls. The glares they threw me were so loathsome, I almost wondered if they were filled with nothing but hate. You should've seen the expressions of the people in class when I walked in the next day, trying unsuccessfully to hide my face with my backpack. No, wait, never mind, you _shouldn't _have seen them.

But most annoying was the fact that Natsume didn't seem affected at all. He was his normal, all-growl-no-smile self, without any apparent changes, while I had to literally wear a mask everywhere I went to hide my face. (Not to say that it always worked, though. Half the time, I was spotted, and, well, you don't want to hear the rest.)

It was worse because for some reason, no one suspected that Natsume would have been at fault. Instead, they all come running to _me_, even though he was the one who was kissing _me_, not the other way around! God is it so hard to understand that? And I didn't even know who had leaked the pictures so that I could pummel them to death…how bad could somebody's life get?

Apparently, a _lot_ worse, because there I was, sitting in my bedroom, being used as a Barbie doll…

"Guys, _please_! I'm begging you – NOOOO!!!!!!!!" I wailed as Nonoko brought mascara closer and closer to my face. Ana (who was holding my arms behind my back) giggled, watching me struggle.

"How can you guys be so _cruel_?" I groaned, looking at the damage done to my face in the mirror.

"Come on, Mikan," said Ana, rolling her eyes. "We can't let you go to the Halloween party in a mess!"

"And what do you call _this_?" I protested, indicating my eyes.

"I dont know about you, but _normal_ people call it mascara. You put it on your eyelashes," sighed Nonoko. "Now sit down. We've only got two hours, and we still haven't gotten ready yet."

Seeing that they would never listen to me, I tried a different tactic. "You know, you guys don't really have to do this for me. You won't have time to get ready!" Oh yeah, I was totally sucking up to them. But desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

"And haven't you already done enough by getting me this?" I continued, nodding my head over to my bed, where a blue dress was laid out, covered by a white bed sheet. Why they didn't want me to see it yet was a mystery – I was the one who was going to put it on anyway.

But Ana was one step ahead of me. "Nice try Mikan, but that wont work on us," she smirked.

I sighed in defeat as I watched Nonoko laugh evilly. "Can I at least see the dress now?" I had never really liked surprises much, and the suspense was killing me – not to mention that I was suspicious that Ana and Nonoko would actually _give_ me a dress for free (What if it wasn't completely…_covering_?) …unless they knew that I didn't have reasonable party wear in my closet…in that case, I think Hotaru's suspicion was rubbing on me.

Speaking of Hotaru… "Is Hotaru coming?" I asked, trying not to move as Ana deftly applied eyeliner to my already twitching eye.

"Don't know," said Nonoko, taking my hand and filing down my nails. "We invited her, but…"

"Well, you know how Hotaru is. She just looked at the invitation and said 'maybe'."

"Hmm…" I frowned, watching as Nonoko shook a small bottle of nail polish and applied it smoothly onto my thumb. At least it wasn't hot pink – though it was a very light – almost silver – shade of blue. "She said she'd be back by lunch, but I haven't seen her since today morning. I hope she can make it."

"Yeah…Any luck on finding the culprit?" asked Ana distractedly, pulling up strands of my hair into pink little curlers. I still couldn't believe I was going through with this.

"No…But of course, I have _tons_ of help from all those people who are _so _willing to help me!" I said sarcastically, my tone barely masking my anger. "What's everybody's _problem_, anyway? Its not like they even _know_ what's going on! I mean, for all they know, I might be Natsume's cousin, and he might just be giving me a sisterly kiss…" I trailed of as I noticed Ana and Nonoko glancing at each other warily. I guess that they were used to my outbursts by now. Just as they were used to my bizarre excuses.

"OK, fine, maybe not. But that still doesn't explain why they don't blame anything on _him_. Oh, _no_, of course not – they just _have_ to blame _me_. The one who's the _most_ freaked out!" I couldn't remember the last time my voice had been so full of venom. At least it felt good to finally have all of that of my shoulders – well, not quite, but you get the picture. "Besides, _he's_ the one who kissed _me_, not the other way around!"

Ana and Nonoko looked edgy, both seeming to contemplate what they could say that wouldn't make me turn into a human volcano.

"You know what you need?" asked Ana, her eyes lighting up.

"No, what?" I tried to make my voice softer. No need to take out my anger on them.

"A look at your _perfect_ dress," said Nonoko, and then steered me away from the mirror.

And I have to say that it actually _was_ perfect. I couldn't stop admiring it even when I sat in Ana and Nonoko's dorm an hour later, waiting for Ana to show up with the heels that I was supposed to wear. Of course, they didn't have any of my protests, insisting that none of the shoes in my limited closet would be appropriate for a party. For once, though, I didn't mind that much – that is, until I actually saw them for myself.

"Ana, I _cannot_ wear those! Just look at them! It's a walking death trap!"

"Come _on_, Mikan, You'll look awesome! Besides, they're only 4 inches!"

"Four inches!!! I have trouble walking around with two!!!" I waved my foot around, avoiding Ana's hands as they unsuccessfully tried to shove on the blue stilettos.

"Mikan, they're the only shoes that match you dress!"

I paused, looking at the folds of blue chiffon and silk as they elegantly draped across my leg. It was true that this dress was one of the only ones that I was certain not only _looked _good, but also _felt_ good. But I wasn't so sure that I would go around, sauntering like a duck, just to pull of a stinkin' dress. One last look at Ana's pleading face was enough for my resolve to waver.

"Ok…fine. But if I trip, I swear, you'll pay the medical bills."

I couldn't be sure that she actually heard me past the 'ok' part, but Ana nodded, eagerly lacing the straps up my ankle.

"Great, now try standing up."

I gulped. This was the part I had been dreading. But no pain, no gain, right? So I stood up shakily, grabbing Ana's arm to steady myself. Only with heels, I was a good four inches taller than Ana, (but then again, she hadn't put on her shoes yet) and I ended up grabbing her shoulder instead.

I had never put on heels that were higher than 1 inch, no matter how much my mom had tried. And trust me, she's tried a_ lot_. And no wonder – walking in heels _hurt_.

"Are you sure that this is safe?" I asked incredulously, letting go of Ana's arm and walking across the room in a style that closely resembled that of a tightrope walker. Only without all the grace. "Seriously, don't ever let me insult a model again. How can they _walk _in these things?" I flailed my arms around in a desperate attempt to steady myself as I misjudged a step.

I whirled around (well, at least tried to, before I lost balance again and almost came crashing to the floor) at the sound of a loud snicker, and saw Nonoko standing there, trying to cover her mouth with her hand. Noticing my livid, (and somewhat embarrassed, even though she was my friend) expression, she straightened up, her lips pressed tight from trying not to laugh.

Eventually though, she gave up and said in between snickers, "Sorry, but its just that," – another burst of laughter – "you look so funny, and," – snickers – "Ana, just what are you thinking? You can't let her wear heels for the first time _now_, of all times, in front of the whole school!"

I could've sworn that I heard the words "and Natsume," slipped in at the end, but I ignored it. I was used to the gossip now, and my friends seeming endless torture of claiming that they knew that me and Natsume "were meant for each other."

I had fought back as well, of course, insisting that Ana and Nonoko had it in for two certain blond friends of Natsume, (Hem, hem, Yuu and Koko) to which they had replied, "You know, if I wasn't worried about ruining your dress, then I would be happy to try out Hotaru's new and improved Baka gun on you."

"So Mikan, you ready?" asked Nonoko, who'd just finished changing.

Her dress was longer mine, and was purple, the bottom part covered with a gauzy green film, just like her sleeves. Around her neck was a silver chain with a spider web-like pendant (Obviously showing Halloween spirit) hanging from it. Ana had on the same dress, only with the colors switched around.

"Yeah," I replied, regretful that I didn't have any more time to practice walking in heels.

Ana, who mistook my expression as one of anxiety, said, "You look fine, Mikan," and turned me around so that I had a good view of the mirror.

I glanced at my reflection reluctantly, (I hadn't looked at myself after I'd gotten completely dressed, and I was apprehensive to what I would find – besides what I could already feel, which strangely included extra weight added to my hair.) but was completely surprised at what I found.

The dress was knee length with spaghetti straps, in a light, powdery blue that reminded me of freshly fallen snow. A white silk sash was tied at the waist, everything below it shimmering with different shades of light blue.

The extra weight had turned out to be the elaborate curls that Nonoko had pinned up, strands of my normal hair slipping out of the clips elegantly. It was also a good thing that I'd already had my ears pierced, because the most beautiful snowflake earrings were hanging from my earlobes, matching the necklace perfectly.

Even though I liked the dress, I couldn't help but think that it all looked a bit too much 'Ice Queen'ish. I had, of course, asked Ana and Nonoko why we weren't dressing up (like a costume) for the Halloween party, but they had just responded by laughing their butts off.

"You've got to be kidding! Nobody in the whole high school dresses up in an actual costume, ever since an incident with some kids from the elementary division sneaked in wearing masks. So we don't have masks anymore, so that we can see who's coming."

I was actually a bit disappointed – (getting dressed up with fake fangs and nails was one of my favorite parts of Halloween – except for trick-or-treating, only I quit that in eighth grade) that is, until I saw how good I looked.

"Wow," I breathed, for once actually interested in my appearance.

"Wow is an understatement," came a low voiced whistle.

I didn't need to turn around to see Koko. "Hey," I said to his reflection, choosing not to notice his complement. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? Didn't Nonoko tell you that she invited us to come with her?" he said, looking at Nonoko in confusion.

"We?" I echoed, turning around to see Yuu standing in the doorway.

"Hello," he said politely, closing the door behind him.

Nonoko, meanwhile, was saying sheepishly, "Yeah, I was going to tell you, but…"

"You forgot?" I finished, raising my eyebrows at her. "But Nonoko, how are we all going to fit in your car?"

"Who said anything about a car?" replied Ana, who was holding Yuu's hand (apparently she thought we couldn't see it, but we could, as plain as day) with a blush creeping up her cheek.

Well, lets just say that I have no clue where they got a limo, (Yes, a _limo_) but it was definitely there, all right. OK, so maybe it wasn't my first time, (being a businessman's daughter and all, I've been able to take a ride in one a few times) but I couldn't help but gasp. "You're kidding me, right? Which school would have a _limo_?"

"Not _a_ limo, they actually have quite a few," smiled Yuu, nodding to the chauffeur as we piled inside.

"This is one _scary_ school," I admitted, dashing to the mini bar for a coke the moment I was inside. "But I'm totally not complaining."

"Hey Yuu, have you seen Ruka or Natsume? I haven't seen them all day," said Koko, a finger on his chin as he thought. "It's not like them to miss an event like this."

I turned away to the tinted windows to hide a secretive smile. Natsume wasn't coming!!!!

"I saw him over at his dorm earlier today…with Ruka." My smile turned into a scowl, which deepened when Yuu added, "He was trying to get Natsume to come."

I must not have made a good job of hiding my disappointment because Koko snickered. "Don't worry, Mikan, I'm sure he's looking forward to seeing you."

Oh no, he did _not _just say that. I glared at him, flexing my hand. "Koko, you're a dead man," I growled.

"Mikan, I'm sure there's no need for violence here," said Nonoko hastily, holding my arm back. "I'm sure Koko was just _joking_," she said, shooting daggers in Koko's direction.

"Yeah, Mikan, take a chill pill. I was just kidding!" said Koko, moving to the far end of the limo and shielding himself with his arms.

"Oh look, we're here!" said Ana in relief, opening the door.

I took one last look at Koko, (who was literally hiding behind a bemused Yuu) and stepped out into the chilly October night.

The lawns of the clubhouse were completely covered with smoke machines and small spotlights that moved around, illuminating the gravestones and coffins that were half hidden by the smoke. No one back at home ever decorated _this_ much for Halloween.

As we walked down the path, one of the coffins moved, the lid lifting of its hinges with a loud creak. Even though I knew that there was nothing in the coffin, (except maybe an electronic Count Dracula) I couldn't help but suspect that the goose bumps on my arm had nothing to do with the cold air. I shivered as a recorded tape of screams began to play from somewhere in the darkness.

I reached across to hold Ana's hand, but was surprised that it wasn't there. "Ana," I called hesitantly, my breaths coming out in short gasps. "Nonoko? Koko?" Where was everybody? "Yuu?" I looked around, but nobody was there…heck, I could barely see my own two feet in all the smoke. Was I even going in the right direction?

I was about to turn back when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I turned around slowly, my blood frozen…and then screamed.

"Ha, Mikan, you should've seen your face!" came a loud guffaw from somewhere behind me.

Koko stepped out of the smoke, holding his stomach and tears in his eyes from laughter, closely followed by Ana, Nonoko, and Yuu. "Whose idea was it?" was all I said, even though I already knew the answer.

They all raised their hands mechanically and pointed to Koko, who was now on the floor and rolling around. "We told him not to do it," apologized Ana, shrugging her shoulders in defense.

I stepped over to Koko, who was taking off a white glow-in-the-dark glove. "Hem, hem," I coughed, tapping my foot.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," he said in between snickers, getting up. Ok, maybe I didn't _have _to punch his lights out. "But you've got to admit, the look on your face was just so – so –" and then he lapsed into more laughter.

Never mind, I had to punch his lights out. "Koko, if you any sense of self-preservation, you'd run right now," I growled, and then ran after him.

I watched as various forms of guys twirled around with their dates, perfectly in time with the music. Like always, I could never understand how they could move with such precise movements. Did they practice before time or something? And just how in the world could those girls dance in _heels_ for crying out loud? My feet were already bruised from running after Koko! (Well, at least I managed to give him a good bruise.)

I sighed, heading over to the punch bowl. I picked up a filled glass and grabbed a tray of bat and pumpkin-shaped chocolate cookies, just to keep me busy. (It wasn't like I was actually going to _dance_ or anything, right?)

But as I was walking back to my seat at the far corner of the room, I noticed a familiar flash of black and crimson. A guy with raven hair was sitting on one of the benches, and in his arms was a girl, decked out in a red and black dress. But even more astonishing was the smile on his face, a smile I knew that he would never show any stranger. _Natsume…_

Slowly, everything else in the room darkened, highlighting his joyful eyes. As I watched, transfixed, those eyes turned towards me, and instead of showing something along the lines of guilt, they lit up even more, almost as if he was happy to see me. What game was he playing at? How could he hug one girl, and be happy to see another?

But as he took in my frozen appearance, the happiness faded from his eyes, and was instead replaced by confusion. "Mikan…" he started, standing up and raising his hand as if to touch me.

I raised my hand as well, turning my palm up to him as a signal to stop. "Save it," was all I managed to choke out. And then I ran.

I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't have to. My feet were taking me through the doors and through the smoke as if I was being followed by a pack of wild dogs, which in a way, I was. The images of Natsume and the girl kept replaying themselves in my head with sickening detail. Even though I knew that the pictures would follow me no matter where I went, I didn't stop.

Eventually, though, when the pain in my feet (from running in heels) numbed the other, more severe pain in my chest, I paused, sitting down on the curb of the road. I stared unblinkingly at my hands, trying to puzzle out my jumbled thoughts.

Why did I even have to run from him like that? It wasn't like I actually _care_ about what Natsume does with his life…right? Besides, I should've know that a bastard like him would never be able to settle for one girl…then again, what was the proof that he even liked me in the first place? But why did my chest feel hollow, almost empty?

I groaned, watching the screenplay in my head with detail – the perfect contour of his coat as it fit over his white shirt, the exact shade of his jeans, the shape of his lips as he said my name for the first (and probably last) time…

_Wait_…He said my _name_?? Impossible, right?? Does that mean that he actually has feelings – however subtle they may be – for me? A small plan started forming in my mind. "His pride is going to be his downfall. How ironic." I looked to the sky, smiling impassively. "Look out Hyuuga. Cause you won't know what hit you."

* * *

**Yeah, you might be wondering what that last part means, but my lips are sealed...at least until the next chapter...  
Right, so _please _tell me any of your suggestions.... so...yeah....**


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